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Cardinals Sign J.C. Romero

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The Cardinals announced that they signed J.C. Romero to a one-year deal in a move that will add left-handed depth to their bullpen. MDR Sports Management represents the 35-year-old reliever, who signed for $750K plus incentives, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). 

Romero spent the 2011 season with the Phillies and Rockies. He posted a 4.01 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 5.5 BB/9 and a characteristically high 54.4% ground ball rate in 24 2/3 innings. With Arthur Rhodes on the free agent market, Marc Rzepczynski was the Cardinals' lone established left-handed reliever until GM John Mozeliak added Romero. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the sides were nearing a deal.

Twins Sign Steve Pearce, J.R. Towles

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The Twins announced a major signing today, and GM Terry Ryan also stayed busy on the minor league front. The Twins signed Steve Pearce and J.R. Towles to minor league deals, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter links). Scott McCauley first reported the Towles deal.

Towles, 27, posted a .184/.256/.293 line in 165 plate appearances with the Astros this past season. His career line is .187/.267/.315, though he picked up just 484 plate appearances over the course of five seasons in Houston. Like Rene Rivera, another recent minor league signing, Towles provides depth behind the plate. Pearce, 28, has MLB experience at all four corner positions. He posted a .202/.260/.255 line in 105 plate appearances for the Pirates in 2011.

AL East Notes: Darvish, Varitek, Orioles

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The AL East will look considerably different if Yu Darvish joins the Yankees or Blue Jays this offseason. Those two clubs had some level of interest in the right-hander, but we don’t yet know whether they won the bidding for him. Here are some AL East links as we await news on Darvish…

  • Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star suggests the Blue Jays would have done well to "go big or go home" in this week's bidding for Darvish. The Blue Jays haven't confirmed how much they bid or even that they placed a bid, but rumors about the team's aggressiveness continue to swirl.
  • The Red Sox will continue talking with Jason Varitek about the possibility of a reunion, GM Ben Cherington said, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. "Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way," Cherington said.
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun suggests the Orioles are looking for more starting pitching and considering upgrades at third base, where Chris Davis and Matt Antonelli are tentatively set to play.

Minor Moves: Rangers, Lindsay, Texeira, James

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Here's where we'll track today's minor moves, most of which were reported by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus on Twitter…

Phillies Sign Dontrelle Willis

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The Phillies announced that they have signed left-hander Dontrelle Willis to pitch out of the bullpen. The contract is worth approximately $1MM and includes performance bonuses for the Sosnick Cobbe client, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports. 

“Dontrelle, I believe, is at a point in his career where he is ready to make the transition to being an effective reliever,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement.

Willis pitched 75 2/3 innings as a starter for the Reds in 2011 — his highest total since 2007. The left-hander posted a 5.00 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 54.5% ground ball rate in 13 second half starts with Cincinnati this past season. However, stats such as xFIP (4.08) and SIERA (4.29) suggest Willis' ERA may have been inflated. Willis, who turns 30 next month, signed a minor league contract last offseason.

Crasnick first reported that the sides were nearing a deal and Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly first reported that they had reached an agreement (Twitter link). The Mariners, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Reds also had interest in Willis as a reliever, Crasnick reports.

Diamondbacks Continue Eyeing Kuroda, Not Saunders

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THURSDAY: The D'Backs have moved on from Saunders, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: The Diamondbacks continue eyeing Joe Saunders and Hiroki Kuroda as they look to fill out their starting rotation. They want to re-sign the left-handed Saunders, but are wary of his asking price, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. They also maintain interest in the right-handed Kuroda, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

The team currently has four starters in its projected 2012 rotation: Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Trevor Cahill and Josh Collmenter. Though Saunders has his strengths, he had a projected salary of $8.7MM as an arbitration eligible player, so Arizona GM Kevin Towers non-tendered him. Kuroda has drawn lots of interest this offseason after posting a 3.07 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 for the Dodgers in 2011. Los Angeles has filled out its rotation and no longer appears to be a possible destination for the 36-year-old.

Heyman On Fielder, Moreland, Kuroda

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Agent Scott Boras hasn’t explicitly stated Prince Fielder’s asking price, but one GM with some interest in the free agent first baseman says he knows the target figure. "Isn't it obvious?," the GM asked Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, implying that Fielder will look to approach Albert Pujols’ $254MM deal. Here’s the latest on Fielder, plus other notes from Heyman:

  • Though Rangers people have suggested they're focused on pitching and trades, Heyman says the team talked about deals involving Mitch Moreland. Barring an addition at first base, the Rangers will be relying on Moreland in 2012.
  • The Blue Jays “are said to be thinking long and hard about Fielder.”
  • There’s “no way” Adam Jones is going to Atlanta for Jair Jurrjens, an Orioles person says. The Braves and Orioles discussed a deal involving Jurrjens and Martin Prado, according to FOX Sports. It should be noted that FOX didn’t say Jones was available in trade talks with the Braves.
  • The Yankees seem to like Hiroki Kuroda more than the other free agent pitchers, according to Heyman.

Cardinals, J.C. Romero Nearing Deal

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THURSDAY: Romero is on the verge of a deal with the Cardinals, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: The Cardinals are nearing a one-year deal with free agent left-hander J.C. Romero, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). MDR Sports Management represents the 35-year-old reliever.

Romero spent the 2011 season with the Phillies and Rockies. He posted a 4.01 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 5.5 BB/9 and a characteristically high 54.4% ground ball rate in 24 2/3 innings. With Arthur Rhodes on the free agent market, Marc Rzepczynski is the Cardinals' lone proven left-handed reliever, so GM John Mozeliak's interest in adding depth makes sense.

MLB, MLBPA To Talk International Acquisitions

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Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association announced that they formed a committee to discuss the development and acquisition of international players. Sandy Alderson of the Mets, Andrew Friedman of the Rays and Kim Ng of MLB join MLB executive VP Rob Manfred, while Tony Clark, Stan Javier and Rick Shapiro of the MLBPA join Michael Weiner, the association’s executive director. The committee will meet by January 15, 2012, according to the recent collective bargaining agreement. 

Here’s a summary of the primary issues the committee will consider:

  • How to proceed should MLB decide to implement an international draft. International players could be included in the current amateur draft or selected in a separate draft (or drafts).
  • Which players from Puerto Rico would remain eligible for the Rule 4 draft if MLB implements multiple drafts.
  • The age at which it’s appropriate to sign international amateurs to professional deals.
  • Ways of revising the agreement between MLB and the Mexican League to provide players with an smoother path to MLB. 
  • Ways of revising agreements between MLB and the Korean Baseball League, the Japanese Baseball League and the Taiwan R.O.C. League to accommodate a draft.
  • Development opportunities for undrafted and unsigned players in Latin America. New leagues and/or teams are possible in Latin America.
  • Regulations for representation of international amateurs (for example, the role of so-called independent trainers). 
  • Possible safeguards for international bonuses.
  • How to treat amateur Cuban players given the legal and political landscape.
  • Country-by-country plans for development of players who aren’t yet draft eligible. 
  • Education and acculturation programs at teams’ international academies.

Braves Interested In Ronny Cedeno

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The Braves are among the teams interested in free agent shortstop Ronny Cedeno, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). The Peter E. Greenberg & Associates client has been on Atlanta's backup shortstop and utility list all offseason, O'Brien reports.

The Pirates declined Cedeno's option earlier this offseason, after he posted a .249/.297/.339 line in 454 plate appearances. The 28-year-old posted a strong 6.8 UZR/150 at shortstop this past season, though his career mark of -1.6 UZR/150 is slightly below average. The Red Sox and Pirates were also linked to Cedeno earlier this offseason, but they've since added depth in Nick Punto and Clint Barmes, respectively.

Alex Gonzalez won't return to Atlanta; he agreed to terms with the Brewers last week. GM Frank Wren figures to add a shortstop on a one-year deal to provide Tyler Pastornicky with time to develop into an everyday player. Yuniesky Betancourt, Cesar Izturis, Ryan Theriot and Jack Wilson are among the available free agent shortstops.

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