Ben Nicholson-Smith | MLB Trade Rumors

Orioles, Robert Andino Avoid Arbitration

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 25, 2012 at 9:38am CDT

The Orioles announced that they have avoided arbitration with infielder Robert Andino. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Orioles submitted a $1MM offer, while Andino and his representatives at Legacy Sports Group asked for $1.6MM. The sides settled at the midpoint for a $1.3MM salary, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets.

Andino, 27, posted a .263/.327/.344 line in 511 plate appearances while playing second, third, shortstop and left field in 2011. He's arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and will remain under team control through 2014. The Orioles have unresolved arbitration cases with Brad Bergesen, Jeremy Guthrie and Adam Jones.

Free Agents Who Cost Draft Picks

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 25, 2012 at 9:11am CDT

The Tigers committed $214MM to sign Prince Fielder yesterday afternoon, but that's not all they gave up — the Brewers will obtain Detroit's first round pick in the upcoming amateur draft. Here's the complete list of players who cost their new teams draft picks this offseason:

Albert Pujols – Angels lose 19th overall pick to Cardinals, who also obtain a supplementary first rounder
Prince Fielder - Tigers lose 27th overall pick to Brewers, who also obtain a supplementary first rounder
Jonathan Papelbon - Phillies lose 31st overall pick to Red Sox, who also obtain a supplementary first rounder
Jose Reyes – Marlins lose 67th overall pick to Mets, who also obtain a supplementary first rounder
C.J. Wilson – Angels lose 78th overall pick to Rangers, who also obtain a supplementary first rounder

In previous years, middle relievers and second-tier free agents such as Juan Cruz cost draft picks. This limited their employment prospects considerably, but the Players Association pushed for changes in negotiations leading up to the collective bargaining agreement, and teams no longer surrender picks for as many free agents. As a result Matt Capps, Octavio Dotel, Darren Oliver and others faced one less obstacle this offseason.

One year ago, under the previous CBA, teams gave up picks to sign Victor Martinez, Adam Dunn, Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, Scott Downs, Cliff Lee, Adrian Beltre, Grant Balfour and Rafael Soriano. Two years ago, teams gave up picks to sign Jose Valverde, Jason Bay, Mike Gonzalez, John Lackey, Chone Figgins, Marco Scutaro and Billy Wagner.

Next offseason, teams will only offer players arbitration if they're prepared to pay a one-year salary that matches or exceeds the average salary of the 125 highest-paid players from the previous season (likely more than $12MM).

Draft order via River Ave. Blues.

Athletics To Sign Jonny Gomes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 24, 2012 at 8:32pm CDT

TUESDAY, 8:32pm: Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter) that the deal is worth $1MM with another $200K in incentives.

FRIDAY, 4:07pm: The deal is for approximately $1.1MM, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.

11:41am: The Athletics have agreed to sign Jonny Gomes, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that the A's were nearing a deal with the Petaluma, California native.

Gomes, 31, posted a .209/.325/.389 line with 14 homers in 372 plate appearances for the Reds and Nationals in 2011. The ACES client has a career .311/.407/.456 line against left-handed pitching, so his skillset should complement left-handed hitting outfielders such as Seth Smith and Josh Reddick.

Conor Jackson and Johnny Damon were also considerations for the A's, who were looking for an outfielder capable of hitting left-handers, according to Slusser. GM Billy Beane has traded for Smith and Reddick and re-signed Coco Crisp this offseason to build his 2012 outfield.

Astros Sign Chris Snyder

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 24, 2012 at 7:10pm CDT

TUESDAY, 7:10pm: Snyder will earn $750K in 2012 with $350K of it being guaranteed, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links). He can earn an additional $1.75MM in bonuses, and the mutual option for 2013 is worth $4MM with a $500K buyout.

FRIDAY, 11:13am: The Astros announced that they signed catcher Chris Snyder to a one-year deal that includes a mutual option for 2013. LSW Baseball represents the eight-year veteran.

Snyder spent much of the 2011 season on the 60-day disabled list with lower back tightness. The 30-year-old posted a .271/.376/.396 line in 119 plate appearances when healthy, but the Pirates declined their option on him after the season. Snyder, who joins Jason Castro and Humberto Quintero on Houston's roster, owns a .231/.333/.394 career line.

Diamondbacks, Brad Ziegler Avoid Arbitration

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 24, 2012 at 5:31pm CDT

The Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year deal with Brad Ziegler, avoiding arbitration, MLBTR has learned. The right-handed reliever will earn $1.795MM in 2012.

Ziegler posted a 2.16 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 58 1/3 innings for the Athletics and Diamondbacks in 2011. He was arbitration eligible for the second time this offseason after earning $1.25MM last year. As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the ICON Sports Managment client filed for $1.945MM while the Diamondbacks countered with a $1.46MM offer. Craig Breslow, Miguel Montero and Ryan Roberts are the Diamondbacks' remaining arbitration eligible players.

Rays Designate Justin Ruggiano For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 24, 2012 at 4:52pm CDT

The Rays designated outfielder Justin Ruggiano for assignment to create roster space for Carlos Pena, the Tampa Tribune tweets. The team's 40-man roster remains full.

Ruggiano appeared in 46 games for the Rays last year, playing all three outfield positions. The 29-year-old posted a .248/.273/.400 line in 111 plate appearances. Ruggiano, who also played for the Rays in 2007-08, is not yet arbitration eligible.

Rays, Keppinger Closing In On Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 24, 2012 at 4:35pm CDT

The Rays are closing in on a Major League deal with infielder Jeff Keppinger, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The team will likely finalize an agreement with the CSE client by the end of the week.

Keppinger posted a .277/.300/.377 line in 399 plate appearances for the Astros and Giants in 2011. The 31-year-old only played second base last year, but he has started 80-plus games at shortstop and third base in his seven-year career. Keppinger earned $2.3MM last year and would have obtained a raise through arbitration, so the Giants non-tendered him in December, holding onto Mike Fontenot instead.

Blue Jays To Sign Francisco Cordero

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 24, 2012 at 3:26pm CDT

The Blue Jays agreed to sign right-handed reliever Francisco Cordero to a one-year, $4.5MM contract, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The Proformance client will set up for closer Sergio Santos, Rosenthal writes.

Cordero, 36, posted a 2.45 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 50% ground ball rate in 69 2/3 innings for Cincinnati this past season. Cordero reached the 30-save plateau for the fifth consecutive season, saving 37 games. His average fastball velocity checked in at 93 mph, but peripheral stats such as xFIP (4.14) and SIERA (3.91) suggest his 2.45 ERA may be artificially low. The Angels, Phillies, Orioles and Rangers all showed interest in Cordero leading up to today's agreement, MLBTR has learned.

The Blue Jays' bullpen will look considerably different in 2012, with newcomers Cordero, Jason Frasor, Sergio Santos and Darren Oliver joining holdovers Carlos Villanueva, Luis Perez, Jesse Litsch and Casey Janssen. Toronto's relievers placed 24th in MLB with 7.5 K/9 and 21st in MLB with a 3.88 ERA in 2011. The bullpen appears considerably stronger heading into the 2012 season, but the Blue Jays' rotation doesn't boast the same depth as other American League clubs such as the Yankees, Tigers, Rays, Angels and Rangers.

Though the Blue Jays won't have to surrender a draft pick to sign Cordero, the Reds will obtain a supplementary first round pick because of the modified procedure for Type A free agents under baseball's new collective bargaining agreement.

It's been a busy week for the Blue Jays, who signed Omar Vizquel last night and extended Brandon Morrow this morning. The Cordero agreement seems to remove them from the Koji Uehara trade talk.

Rays Sign Carlos Pena

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 24, 2012 at 3:12pm CDT

The Rays have signed Carlos Pena to a one-year deal that will bring the powerful first baseman back to Tampa Bay, the team announced. The Scott Boras client will earn $7.25MM in 2012.

“Carlos is one of the most accomplished players in team history and he is a great fit for our club in 2012 both on and off the field,” Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “He adds to our offense with his power while maintaining the high defensive standard we seek.”

Pena, 33, posted a .225/.357/.462 line with 28 home runs in 606 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2011. He earned $10MM last, when the Rays spent $42MM on their entire Major League payroll. Pena averaged 36 home runs and a .238/.368/.516 line in his four seasons in Tampa Bay from 2007-10. Just 9.36% of 15,700 people who participated in MLBTR's December poll expected Pena to return to Tampa Bay.

The Rays have added substantial power to the lineup in Pena and Luke Scott. Casey Kotchman, who played first base for the Rays in 2011, will presumably sign elsewhere — possibly in Cleveland — now that the Rays no longer have an opening at first base. Potential suitors for Pena such as the Yankees, Tigers and Indians will have to turn elsewhere for power bats.

The Cubs offered Pena arbitration after the season, so they'll earn a compensatory draft pick for losing the Type B free agent. However, the Rays don't have to surrender a pick to add Pena. Pena ranked 16th on MLBTR's list of top free agents entering the offseason.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the agreement, after Yahoo's Tim Brown reported that the Rays were "in pretty deep" with Pena. Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Astros Designate Angel Sanchez For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 24, 2012 at 2:00pm CDT

The Astros designated infielder Angel Sanchez for assignment, the team announced. The move creates roster space for catcher Chris Snyder.

Sanchez, 28, appeared in 110 games for the Astros in 2011, playing shortstop, second and third. He posted a .240/.305/.285 line in 328 plate appearances. He barely missed the super two cutoff and will be arbitration eligible for the first time next offseason if he spends enough time on an MLB roster in 2012.

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