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Reds Sign Clay Hensley

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The Reds announced that they signed right-handed reliever Clay Hensley to a minor league deal (Twitter link). Lapa/Leventhal represents Hensley.

Hensley pitched for the Giants in 2012, making 60 relief appearances. He posted a 4.62 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 50 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. In seven seasons at the MLB level, Hensley has a 4.00 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9.

Hensley provides Reds manager Dusty Baker with bullpen depth as Spring Training begins. Right-handers Jonathan Broxton, Jose Arredondo, Logan Ondrusek, Alfredo Simon and Sam LeCure project as contributors in the Cincinnati bullpen this coming season.

Diamondbacks Notes: Goldschmidt, Hill, Prado

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Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers revealed this weekend that he approached first baseman Paul Goldschmidt about the possibility of signing a long-term extension. MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert has more on Goldschmidt plus notes on some players who recently signed deals of their own…

  • Though the Diamondbacks were interested in locking Goldschmidt up, they will honor his request to wait before engaging in serious contract talks. "We tried, but he was just confident in his ability at the time and said, 'You know, I'm not looking for security right now and need a little bit more time just to kind of have a better idea with another year of play who my peer group looks more like,'" Towers said. 
  • Earlier on in their history the Diamondbacks signed many players to deals that included deferred salaries. The team has now paid off most of that $250MM commitment, which has led to increased financial flexibility.
  • Arizona managing general partner Ken Kendrick explained that the upcoming national television deal should allow teams such as the Diamondbacks to spend more aggressively and retain their top players. "Our view with some of our key players is we can invest in multiple year deals in advance of the wave of money, where all clubs will begin to perhaps spend more on free agents or on their own players,” Kendrick said.
  • Kendrick said he’s not concerned that Martin Prado and Aaron Hill might decline over the course of their recently–completed contract extensions. "If these guys continue to play at the level that they have played, which we hope they will, then I think we will look at all these signings, hopefully all these signings, as good investments," Kendrick said.

Regular MLBTR Features

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If you're a regular MLBTR reader, you'll be familiar with our chats, our Week In Review posts and Zach Links' Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature. Here's some more detail on when you'll see our weekly features and exactly what to expect from them:

  • MLBTR Chats - Join me every Wednesday at 2pm CDT to chat about the latest trades, signings and rumblings around the Major Leagues.
  • Baseball Blogs Weigh In - Every Friday morning, Zach Links directs you to some of the best writing on baseball blogs around the web. Whether it's opinion, stats or something else entirely, you can connect to the best of the blogosphere once a week on MLBTR. If you want to send Mike a post of yours, reach him at: mike@riveraveblues.com.
  • Week In Review - It's remarkable how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, Daniel Seco summarizes the week's biggest stories in our Week In Review posts.
  • MLBTR Originals - Edward Creech gathers all our original analysis and reporting in one place every Sunday night.

Athletics To Sign Hideki Okajima

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The Athletics have agreed to sign left-hander Hideki Okajima to a minor league deal with an invite to big league spring training, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). The deal with the Joe Rosen client is pending a physical.

The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks recently released Okajima from his contract, allowing him to pursue opportunities at the MLB level. A few teams had interest in Okajima, who spent the 2012 season in Japan after pitching with the Red Sox from 2007-11.

Okajima posted a 0.94 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9 over the course of 47 2/3 innings in Japan last year. The 37-year-old was a key contributor in Boston's bullpen from 2007-10, posting a 3.06 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over the course of 254 appearances during that four-year period. He'll join left-handed relievers Sean Doolittle, Jerry Blevins and Jordan Norberto in the Oakland bullpen.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle first reported the sides were nearing a deal.

AL East Notes: Blue Jays, Rays, Granderson

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We've already checked in on the NL East clubs this morning, but there's also lots of news from the AL East as players arrive in Florida to prepare for the 2013 season. Here are the details…

  • Toronto manager John Gibbons told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that despite their offseason moves, it’d be premature to consider the Blue Jays AL East favorites. “You’ve got to look at the Yankees, they have earned that respect. You have to expect the Red Sox will bounce back and look what the Orioles and Rays have done,” Gibbons said. “Until we can do something like that, something like what the other teams have done, it’s better just to shut up. But we do like our talent.”
  • The Rays will face harsh penalties for exceeding their draft bonus pool, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. Baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement limited teams to $2.9MM in international bonuses for 2012-13. The Rays spent more than $3.7MM internationally for the '12-13 period, which means they face a 100% tax on the overage and won't be able to sign a player for more than $250K in the coming year.
  • Curtis Granderson told reporters he hasn’t been approached by his agent about any extension talks with the Yankees,  Andy McCullough of the Star Ledger reports (on Twitter). Granderson, who is open to discussing a long-term deal, also said he’d consider moving to left field if necessary.
  • Red Sox principal owner John Henry addressed a variety of topics earlier today and MLBTR has the details.

Nationals Sign Will Ohman

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The Nationals signed left-handed reliever Will Ohman to a minor league deal, Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The team confirmed its deal with the Beverly Hills Sports Council client (on Twitter).

Ohman pitched for the White Sox in 2012, the second year of a two-year, $4MM contract. The 35-year-old posted a 6.41 ERA with 4.4 K/0 and 1.7 BB/9 in 26 2/3 innings of relief with Chicago before getting released in July. The Reds signed him later that month, but never called him up from Triple-A Louisville.

Red Sox Notes: Henry, James, Valentine

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Red Sox principal owner John Henry met with the media today and discussed a variety of topics related to the team. Here are some highlights via various Boston media members…

  • Henry emphatically told reporters that he’s not selling the team, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
  • Henry said the Red Sox may not be done making moves to improve the team, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
  • Henry downplayed the notion that the Red Sox are prioritizing profit over performance, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports (on Twitter). "I know people can say that we're revenue-oriented, but the fact is that we're wins and losses-oriented,” the owner said.
  • Henry said the Red Sox will use Bill James more in their front office decision making, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Henry said Bobby Valentine could be a great manager again under the right circumstances, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports (on Twitter). The Red Sox dismissed Valentine following a disappointing 2012 season.

NL East Notes: Braves, Zimmermann, Phillies

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As the Mets’ pursuit of Michael Bourn continues slowly but surely, let’s check in on the rest of the NL East for the latest news…

  • Braves president John Schuerholz told Mark Bowman of MLB.com that the idea of acquiring both Upton brothers “probably would have been a little too much to hope for” at the outset of the offseason. Even so, Braves scouts and executives weren’t discouraged. “Nobody stopped working because we thought it was unrealistic to get it done,” Schuerholz explained. “We just kept working harder to get it done.”
  • Jordan Zimmermann's arbitration hearing has been set for February 19th, Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The right-hander filed for $5.8MM with the Nationals countering at $4.6MM, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows. Zimmermann says he and the Nationals have made "a little progress" toward a one-year deal, Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter). The sides haven't engaged in long-term talks.
  • Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News notes that two of the Phillies' offseason additions — Delmon Young and Michael Young — could be defensive liabilities in 2013. It's far from a given that the Phillies will be adequate defensively with Delmon in right field and Michael at third base.

Diamondbacks Sign Rod Barajas

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FEBRUARY 10th: The Diamondbacks officially announced the signing of Barajas to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 8th: The Diamondbacks have signed catcher Rod Barajas, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports (Twitter links). The MVP Sports Group client obtains a minor league deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). He'll earn $800K if he makes the MLB team, according to Piecoro. Barajas began his career with the Diamondbacks, playing in Arizona from 1999-2003.

Barajas spent the 2012 season with the Pirates and posted a .206/.283/.343 batting line with 11 home runs in 361 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting 37-year-old has a history of providing some power from behind the plate, having reached double figures in home runs in eight of the past nine seasons. Barajas didn't surface in offseason rumors after the Pirates declined his 2013 option in late October.

Piecoro suggests Barajas will likely compete with Wil Nieves for playing time behind Miguel Montero. Matt Treanor is now the lone free agent catcher who spent significant time at the MLB level in 2012.

Athletics, Okajima Nearing Deal

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The Athletics are nearing a deal with left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter). Agent Joe Rosen represents Okajima.

The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks recently released Okajima from his contract, allowing him to pursue opportunities at the MLB level. A few teams had interest in Okajima, who spent the 2012 season in Japan after pitching with the Red Sox from 2007-11.

Okajima posted a 0.94 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9 over the course of 47 2/3 innings in Japan last year. The 37-year-old was a key contributor in Boston's bullpen from 2007-10, posting a 3.06 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over the course of 254 appearances during that four-year period. If the A's complete a deal with Okajima, he'll join left-handed relievers Sean Doolittle, Jerry Blevins and Jordan Norberto in the Oakland bullpen.

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