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Martinez, Herrera On Waivers

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Former top prospect Fernando Martinez and left-handed reliever Danny Herrera are on waivers, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Mets need to clear 40-man roster space for Scott Hairston and Ronny Cedeno.

Martinez, 23, has a .183/.250/.290 line in 145 plate appearances with the Mets since 2009. He spent most of the 2011 season at Triple-A, posting a .260/.329/.417 line with 19 extra base hits in 250 plate appearances. Baseball America named him one of the top 100 prospects in the game before each of the 2007-10 seasons.

Herrera, 27, joined the Mets in last summer's Francisco Rodriguez trade. The sidearmer pitched 9 2/3 innings in the Major Leagues in 2011 and spent most of the season at Triple-A. He posted a 2.20 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 for the top affiliates of the Brewers and Mets. He can declare free agency if he clears waivers.

Minor Moves: James Skelton, Chris Seddon

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Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…

  • The Nationals agreed to sign catcher James Skelton to a minor league deal, MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets. The 26-year-old spent the 2011 season with Cincinnati's top affiliates, posting a .221/.360/.346 line in 174 plate appearances.
  • The Indians announced that they signed left-hander Chris Seddon to a minor league contract that inlcudes an invitation to Spring Training. The 28-year-old has MLB experience with the 2007 Marlins and the 2010 Mariners, but spent the 2011 season at the Triple-A level, where he posted a 6.27 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 149 1/3 innings of work. He'll enter Spring Training as a starter and at the moment it looks as though he'll provide depth at Triple-A, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.

Cubs, Kerry Wood Progressing Toward One-Year Deal

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9:38pm: A potential deal between Wood and the Cubs is "far from done," a source tells ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).  Wood is in talks with "multiple teams" about a 2012 contract.

12:29pm: The Cubs and free agent reliever Kerry Wood are making progress on a one-year, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe tweets. The Cubs and the SFX client have not completed a deal, however.

President of baseball operations Theo Epstein recently said he'd be greatly disappointed if the Cubs don't re-sign Wood. The right-hander signed a below-market $1.5MM deal last offseason but is said to want a market value deal this winter. Wood posted a 3.35 ERA with 10.1 K/9, 3.7 BB/9 and a 35.8% ground ball rate in 51 innings for the Cubs in 2011. He's 34, but remains a flamethrower; his average fastball checked in at 94.4 mph last year.

Angels, Jorge Cantu Nearing Deal

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The Angels are nearing a deal with free agent infielder Jorge Cantu, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Wasserman Media Group represents the 29-year-old.

Cantu hit 28 homers in 2005 and 29 homers in 2008, but has struggled to produce at the plate since then. Cantu signed with the Padres for $850K about a year ago, but they designated him for assignment and the Rockies picked him up. He posted a .194/.232/.285 line in 155 plate appearances for San Diego, appearing at first, second and third base. Cantu, a right-handed hitter, has hit lefties and righties at a nearly identical clip over the course of his eight-year career.

Nationals Notes: Ankiel, Rodriguez, Hernandez, Coffey

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Most of the current chatter surrounding the Nationals focuses on a certain free agent first baseman, but as Amanda Comak of the Washington Times explains, the team also seeks bench and bullpen help. Here are the details:

  • The Nationals haven’t ruled out bringing Rick Ankiel back, partly because they like his defense and influence in the clubhouse.
  • We shouldn’t expect the Nationals to re-sign Ivan Rodriguez or Livan Hernandez, Comak writes. The door has been ‘closed’ on Hernandez, as the team no longer has room on its roster or openings in its rotation.
  • There's a 50-50 chance free agent reliever Todd Coffey returns to the Nationals, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ladson says the Brewers still have interest in Coffey, who has also drawn interest from the Angels and Mets.

Heyman On Rizzo, Rangers, Webb, Jackson

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The Cubs acquired Anthony Rizzo from the Padres today, but they weren’t the only team with interest in the first base prospect. The Indians, Blue Jays and Rays also had some interest in Rizzo, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Here are more notes from Heyman (they all go to Twitter):

Red Sox, Mariners Interested In Maholm

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The Red Sox and Mariners are among the teams interested in Paul Maholm, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Cubs and Orioles are still in on the free agent left-hander and the Pirates remain in touch with him. The Padres have also been linked to Maholm, a Bo McKinnis client.

Maholm, 29, posted a 3.66 ERA with 5.4 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 49.9% ground ball rate in 162 1/3 innings for the Pirates in 2011. He spent the end of the season on the disabled list recovering from a shoulder injury and the Pirates chose a $750K buyout over a $9.75MM club option in October.

The Red Sox could use rotation depth behind Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard. The Mariners, who locked up Hisashi Iwakuma yesterday, are open to the idea of adding another veteran arm if the price is right, according to Rosenthal.

Rosenthal On Garza, Turner, Madson, Lee

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The Cubs have traded Sean Marshall, Carlos Zambrano and Andrew Cashner in recent weeks. Could Matt Garza be next? Ken Rosenthal of FOX breaks down the market for Garza and offers more rumors from around the league:

  • Cubs execs Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are alarmed by the lack of minor league talent in their own system, so trading Garza might appeal to them. The Yankees, one possible suitor for the right-hander, have had concerns about Garza’s ability to handle New York in the past, Rosenthal reports.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has said he’s not looking to trade Jacob Turner, but Rosenthal hears the young right-hander is available in the right deal.
  • A contender like the Cardinals could make a surprise play for Ryan Madson, but the market for the free agent closer currently looks thin. Agent Scott Boras may wait until Spring Training to find a deal, as he has done in the past.
  • Free agent first baseman Derrek Lee expects to land a full-time job, Rosenthal reports. I examined the first base market yesterday.
  • The Mariners, who added Hisashi Iwakuma yesterday, are open to signing a veteran at the right price, Rosenthal tweets.

Cubs Acquire Anthony Rizzo

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The Cubs have acquired first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right-hander Zach Cates from the Padres for right-hander Andrew Cashner and outfielder Kyung-Min Na, the teams announced. The move provides the Cubs with a potential long-term first baseman and makes room for another first baseman in San Diego.

Anthony Rizzo - Padres

“The acquisition of Yonder Alonso provided us the flexibility to make this trade and acquire a quality, young power arm in Andrew Cashner,” Padres GM Josh Byrnes said. “We are happy to add a pitcher with the pedigree of Cashner and an outfielder with the athleticism of Na.”

The Cubs are presumably out of the running for free agent Prince Fielder with the acquisition of Rizzo. Bryan LaHair will open the season as the Cubs' everyday first baseman and Rizzo will play at Triple-A, GM Jed Hoyer said, tweets Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.

Rizzo, 22, debuted with the Padres last year, posting a .141/.281/.242 line in a 153 plate appearance cameo. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .331/.404/.652 line and hit 26 homers in 413 plate appearances. Baseball America ranked him 75 among MLB prospects entering the 2011 season and first among Padres prospects after the campaign ended. Even if Rizzo (pictured) sticks in the Major Leagues from this point on, he'll be under team control through 2017.

Cates, a 2010 third rounder, made his professional debut in 2011. The 22-year-old posted a 4.73 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 118 innings as a starter at Class A.

Cashner, 25, has a 4.29 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.7 BB/9 in 65 innings over the course of two seasons with the Cubs. The 2008 first rounder spent much of the 2011 season on the 60-day disabled list with a strained right rotator cuff, but returned to make six appearances in September. He'll be under team control through 2016. The Padres will use Cashner out of the bullpen, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets.

Na, 20, has a .244/.335/.284 line in 519 plate appearances over the course of two seasons in the lower levels of the minor leagues. He has played all three outfield positions professionally and spent most of his time in center.

When the Red Sox drafted Rizzo in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, current Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was Boston's GM, Hoyer was his assistant GM and Jason McLeod was his scouting director. Hoyer, McLeod, Byrnes and the Padres acquired Rizzo from Epstein and the Red Sox in last offseason's Adrian Gonzalez deal. It's worth noting that Byrnes worked with Hoyer and Epstein in Boston before becoming Arizona's GM in 2005. 

Photo courtesy Icon SMI.

Potential Teams For Remaining Designated Hitters

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Johnny Damon, Vladimir Guerrero, Hideki Matsui, Magglio Ordonez and Luke Scott highlight the list of unsigned designated hitters. Jorge Posada and Manny Ramirez are also out there and Bobby Abreu and Alfonso Soriano could become available in trades. Some would say free agent first baseman Prince Fielder is well on his way to becoming a DH, but he’ll presumably sign as a first baseman. 

The market for designated hitters tends to favor buyers and this year is no exception. Here's a look at the American League teams with possible DH openings:

  • Rays – When the offseason began, Andrew Friedman spoke about his intention to add offense without sacrificing defense. The Rays have an opening at DH, the one spot in the lineup where defense doesn't matter at all. The Rays will likely add a bat or two before Opening Day, perhaps a DH.
  • Blue Jays – Edwin Encarnacion finished the 2011 season strong and projects as the Blue Jays' DH heading into 2012.
  • Orioles – The Orioles appear to have expressed some interest Soriano and Scott, which shows they're open to a DH-type acquisition.
  • Twins – The Twins no longer have Jim Thome, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Delmon Young around, but Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit could be in the DH mix in 2012. It'd be a surprise if they add a high-profile DH.
  • Athletics – Brandon Allen, Daric Barton, Chris Carter and Kila Ka'aihue figure to compete for playing time at first base and could enter the DH mix. Oakland hasn’t been a top destination for free agent bats in recent years, but agents for unsigned DHs may give Billy Beane a call to determine his interest in adding a hitter.
  • Mariners – The Mariners don't have a fixture at DH. Left fielders Mike Carp and Casper Wells project as DH options for manager Eric Wedge.

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