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Padres Extend Nick Hundley

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 20, 2012 at 3:58pm CDT

The Padres and catcher Nick Hundley agreed to terms on a three-year extension, the team announced. The deal covers the 2012-14 seasons and includes a club option for 2015. Athletes First represents Hundley, who drew praise from his new GM.

“Nick has developed into one of our club’s core players,” Josh Byrnes said. “He impacts the game on both offense and defense and has evolved into a leader on the field and in the clubhouse.”

Nick Hundley - Padres

Hundley had agreed to a one-year, $2MM salary via arbitration this offseason and was on track for free agency following the 2014 season. This means San Diego extends its control of Hundley by up to one season with today's agreement. Hundley will earn $2MM in 2012, $3MM in 2013 and $4MM in 2014, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports (Twitter links). The club option is worth $5MM and doesn't include a buyout, so it's a three-year, $9MM deal. 

Hundley has a .255/.314/.420 career line in four MLB seasons, including a .288/.347/.477 line last year. 72% of stolen base attempts against the 28-year-old have been successful to this point in his career. 

As Mike Axisa pointed out when talks heated up over the weekend, catchers such as Kurt Suzuki (four years, $16.25MM), Yadier Molina (four years, $15.5MM), Carlos Ruiz (three years, $8.85MM) and Chris Iannetta (three years, $8.3MM) signed extensions when they had between three and four years of service time. Iannetta and Ruiz were likely comparables for Hundley's deal.

Corey Brock of MLB.com first reported the deal. Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

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San Diego Padres Transactions Nick Hundley

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Jason Bourgeois, Humberto Quintero Traded

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 20, 2012 at 3:13pm CDT

Jason Bourgeois and Humberto Quintero of the Astros have been traded, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports (all Twitter links). The Nationals have been linked to Bourgeois while the Royals and Phillies are known to be looking for catching depth. The Royals have been trying to trade for Quintero, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets.

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Houston Astros Kansas City Royals Humberto Quintero Jason Bourgeois Mystery Team

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Yankees Notes: Pettitte, Hughes, Nova, Damon

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 20, 2012 at 2:09pm CDT

The latest on the Yankees…

  • Before Andy Pettitte signed with the Yankees, Lance Berkman tried to recruit the left-hander for the Cardinals, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Berkman said he was in regular contact with Pettitte and would have approached the front office if he had obtained the go-ahead from his friend and former teammate.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if the Yankees will look to extend Phil Hughes or Ivan Nova to a Derek Holland-like extension in order to cap costs and avoid MLB's luxury tax. 
  • There was a split between upper management and the field staff over whether to sign Johnny Damon or Raul Ibanez, Tom Verducci of SI.com writes. Damon told the Yankees he would play for whatever they were offering Ibanez, but it wasn't enough.
  • Agent Scott Boras says Damon has received nibbles, but no offers. “We have heard from teams who say 'We have interest in the guy but we want to see what our players are going to do,'" Boras said.
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New York Yankees St. Louis Cardinals Andy Pettitte Ivan Nova Johnny Damon Phil Hughes

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NL East Notes: Vizcaino, Phillies, Mets, Lannan

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 20, 2012 at 12:57pm CDT

Earlier today MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reviewed the Marlins' busy offseason. Here are some more links from the NL East…

  • Braves GM Frank Wren told reporters that reliever Arodys Vizcaino will miss the 2012 season after undergoing Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. The 21-year-old right-hander appeared in 17 games with the Braves last year and entered the season as the 40th-best prospect in MLB, according to Baseball America.
  • The Phillies could start the season with prospect Freddy Galvis at second base, or explore the trade market for alternatives. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney hears from rival executives that there’s a short list of veteran middle infielders available in trades. Maicer Izturis, Alberto Callaspo, Chris Getz and Blake DeWitt appear to be options for teams seeking infield depth. 
  • Even though they're short on left-handed relief, the Mets are unlikely to sign C.J. Nitkowski, Hong-Chih Kuo or Dontrelle Willis, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports.
  • Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears the Nationals "still have a lot of motivation" to trade John Lannan and his $5MM salary (Twitter link).
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Atlanta Braves Chicago Cubs Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Angels New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals Alberto Callaspo Arodys Vizcaino Blake DeWitt Chris Getz Dontrelle Willis Hong-Chih Kuo John Lannan Maicer Izturis

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Team And Transaction-Only Feeds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 20, 2012 at 12:21pm CDT

If you prefer your MLBTR fix limited to only your favorite team, we've got you covered.  Below are links to our team Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds.

AL East

  • Orioles: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
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AL Central

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AL West

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NL East

  • Braves: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
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  • Mets: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
  • Phillies: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
  • Nationals: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

NL Central

  • Cubs: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
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NL West

  • Diamondbacks: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
  • Rockies: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
  • Dodgers: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
  • Padres: Facebook / Twitter / RSS
  • Giants: Facebook / Twitter / RSS

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

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Offseason In Review: Toronto Blue Jays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 20, 2012 at 8:09am CDT

As speculation and rumors about splashy acquisitions continued to swirl, the Blue Jays opted for bullpen improvements this offseason.

Major League Signings

  • Kelly Johnson, 2B: one year, $6.375MM. Accepted arbitration.
  • Darren Oliver, RP: one year, $4.5MM.
  • Francisco Cordero, RP: one year, $4.5MM.
  • Edwin Encarnacion, DH: one year, $3.5MM. Club option exercised.
  • Rick VandenHurk, RP: one year.
  • Total spend: $18.875MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Tim Redding, Omar Vizquel, Kyle Phillips, Nelson Figueroa, Robert Coello, Brian Bocock, Aaron Laffey.

Trades and Claims

  • Acquired OF Ben Francisco from the Phillies for RP Frank Gailey.
  • Acquired RP Sergio Santos from the White Sox for SP Nestor Molina.
  • Acquired C Jeff Mathis from the Angels for SP Brad Mills.
  • Acquired Jason Frasor from the White Sox for RP Myles Jaye and RP Daniel Webb.
  • Acquired IF Luis Valbuena from the Indians for cash.
  • Acquired RP Trystan Magnuson from the Athletics for cash.
  • Claimed RP Jim Hoey from the Twins.
  • Claimed RP Andrew Carpenter from the Padres.
  • Claimed RP Jesse Chavez from the Royals.

Extensions

  • Brandon Morrow, SP: three years, $21MM.
  • Casey Janssen, RP: two years, $5.9MM. 

Notable Losses

  • Jon Rauch, Frank Francisco, Jose Molina, Mark Teahen, Shawn Camp, Gailey, Molina, Mills, Jaye, Webb.

The Blue Jays will have a better bullpen in 2012 and their offense was strong to begin with, yet it’s unclear if the back of their rotation will be effective enough to vault the club into contention this year.

To the surprise and frustration of many Blue Jays fans, GM Alex Anthopoulos passed on Prince Fielder, C.J. Wilson, Ryan Madson and the rest of the offseason’s top free agents. The Rangers won the bidding for Yu Darvish, but the Blue Jays appear to have placed a relatively competitive bid for the right-hander and at times it seemed that he would be headed to Toronto. The Blue Jays were also reportedly in on trade talks for starters Michael Pineda and Gio Gonzalez, but didn't appear to feel comfortable with the asking price for controllable, young pitchers.

Instead, the back of the Blue Jays’ projected rotation contains one pitcher who has appeared in five MLB games since 2008 and another pitcher who has appeared in ten big league games over the course of his entire career. Dustin McGowan has tremendous stuff and Henderson Alvarez impressed in his late-2011 cameo, but baseball’s best teams have more certainty at the back of their rotations. I still believe acquiring one more starter with the stuff to succeed in the AL East would have reduced risk without preventing the organization's best prospects from developing.

Highly-regarded Double-A starters Chad Jenkins, Deck McGuire and Drew Hutchison provide the team with promising internal alternatives that presumably affected the Blue Jays' willingness to bid aggressively on available pitching this winter. The prospects could be called on if a Blue Jays starter suffers an injury, but they probably need at least a couple more months of minor league development first. In the meantime, Aaron Laffey and Kyle Drabek provide rotation depth, but given Drabek's command issues last year (55 walks in 78 2/3 innings) additional Triple-A seasoning seems to be in order. 

The bullpen, an ongoing source of concern in 2011, received a makeover. Anthopoulos traded for Sergio Santos, re-acquired Jason Frasor and signed Darren Oliver and Francisco Cordero. Though Oliver is now 41, the left-hander remains effective. And though Cordero showed signs of decline in 2011, the Blue Jays aren't asking him to close or paying him like a closer.

It mustn't have been easy to send minor league starter Nestor Molina and his 148K/16BB ratio to Chicago, but the Santos deal seems likely to pay off for Anthopoulos. Santos, a former shortstop prospect in Toronto's system, excelled as Chicago's closer in 2011 and is under team control through 2017. Similarly, parting with Myles Jaye and Daniel Webb to re-acquire Frasor makes sense for a prospect-rich team seeking late-game stability. Toronto's front office improved the bullpen considerably over the winter.

The Blue Jays extended their control over Brandon Morrow with a three-year, $21MM extension and locked Casey Janssen up for two years and $5.9MM. The Blue Jays believe Morrow can reach another level after showing promise in his first two seasons out of the rotation, so extending him and creating potential savings for two free agent seasons was a natural choice. Even if his performance remains constant, the Blue Jays should enjoy extended control at a reasonable rate.

After months of speculation, the Blue Jays didn't end up adding a big-name bat such as Fielder or David Ortiz. Yet they ranked sixth in MLB in scoring a year ago and should still be powerful in 2012. Two-time defending MLB home run leader Jose Bautista anchors a lineup that will also include Brett Lawrie, Kelly Johnson and Colby Rasmus for a full season. The Blue Jays retained two powerful players by exercising Edwin Encarnacion's option and offering Johnson arbitration.

Anthopoulos chose to rely on Adam Lind at first base and either Eric Thames or Travis Snider in left field. Lind needs to get on base more and the Blue Jays need to find out what they have in Snider and Thames. Though there's some hope at first base and left field, the Blue Jays will have to move on at these positions in 2013 if Lind, Thames and Snider don't hit.

The Blue Jays lost a highly-regarded defensive catcher in Jose Molina and acquired another one in Jeff Mathis. There's every reason to expect unimpressive offensive numbers from Mathis, a lifetime .194/.257/.301 hitter. But someone has to spell J.P. Arencibia and top prospect Travis d'Arnaud needs to play every day to further refine his game. If d'Arnaud impresses at Triple-A he could earn a callup when rosters expand in September.

The AL East doesn't look any easier this year, but three of its teams could qualify for the playoffs under baseball's new postseason system. That gives the Blue Jays legitimate hope for 2012 and beyond. There's a sense that the Blue Jays are set to end their run of mediocre finishes and emerge as a contending team before long. If enough breaks right it could even happen this year.

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2011-12 Offseason In Review Toronto Blue Jays

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Quick Hits: Votto, Twins, Dodgers, Lannan

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 19, 2012 at 4:45pm CDT

The Padres signed Hall of Fame outfielder Rickey Henderson on this date in 2001 and the 42-year-old went on to steal 25 bases with San Diego in his final season as a Major League regular. Here are today's links…

  • Joey Votto told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that it'd be tough for a premium position player to sign a five-year deal. "No matter how fond a person is of the city, players have to maximize the number of years," Votto said. The first baseman, who is under contract with the Reds through 2013, says Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols "did excellent'' in free agency this offseason. Votto added that he would like to stay with the Reds and that the Cincinnati market seems strong.
  • Twins GM Terry Ryan said there's a "possibility" the club looks to obtain a utility player from outside of the organization, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger (Twitter links). Ryan said he’s open to promoting a Double-A player like Brian Dozier, but not for the utility role.
  • Rival executives say manager Don Mattingly is one of the reasons the Dodgers are currently an underrated team, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The second-year skipper told Rosenthal that Spring Training has been easier this year, since he’s no longer breaking new ground at every turn.
  • Rosenthal hears the Tigers and Red Sox are the most serious suitors for left-hander John Lannan (Twitter link). However, Lannan hasn’t looked great this spring and the Nationals aim to clear his entire $5MM salary in any trade. Chien-Ming Wang’s hamstring injury could also affect Lannan's status as a trade candidate.
  • The Blue Jays remain interested in upgrading their rotation, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets. It doesn't sound like the chances of a deal involving Gavin Floyd are particularly high, however.
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Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Dodgers Minnesota Twins Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals Gavin Floyd Joey Votto John Lannan

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Outrighted To The Minors: Jeff Bianchi

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 19, 2012 at 4:15pm CDT

Keeping track of the latest outright assignments…

  • The Brewers outrighted infielder Jeff Bianchi to Double-A Huntsville, according to MLB.com's transactions page. The Brewers claimed Bianchi off of waivers from the Cubs in January, one month after the Cubs claimed him from the Royals. The 25-year-old has a .281/.335/.410 line in six minor league seasons.
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Milwaukee Brewers Transactions

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Extension Updates: Aybar, Hamilton, Napoli, Axford

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 19, 2012 at 3:48pm CDT

The latest on extension talks around MLB…

  • The Angels and Erick Aybar have made a bit of progress toward an extension, but agent Fern Cuza says they are “not close,” Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.
  • Josh Hamilton told Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio that the Rangers can sign him now for considerably less than he’ll cost as a free agent after the season (Twitter links). Hamilton says his loyalty lies with the Rangers and that they will get the first chance to sign him should he reach free agency.
  • Mike Napoli told Bowden he’s letting his agent handle contract talks, but that he would like to sign a long-term deal with the Rangers (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers met with John Axford's agent yesterday, but the closer’s in no rush to sign an extension, according to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. “If conversations keep going [after Opening Day], then they keep going,” Axford said. “I’m not going to be bothered by it.”
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Los Angeles Angels Milwaukee Brewers Texas Rangers Erick Aybar John Axford Josh Hamilton Mike Napoli

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Mariners Release Hong-Chih Kuo

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 19, 2012 at 2:33pm CDT

The Mariners announced that they released left-handed reliever Hong-Chih Kuo. Seattle has 39 players on its 40-man roster after cutting Kuo, who signed a Major League deal in February.

Kuo struggled through 40 appearances in 2011, posting a 9.00 ERA with 12.0 K/9 and 7.7 BB/9 and missing time with an anxiety disorder. His results were much better before last year; he had a 3.19 career ERA with 10.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 entering the 2011 season. The 30-year-old underwent his fifth career elbow surgery in October and the Dodgers non-tendered him two months later. Kuo, an Octagon client, signed for $500K in guaranteed money and would have earned an additional $500K plus incentives on the active roster.

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Seattle Mariners Transactions Hong-Chih Kuo

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