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Josh Willingham Decision Expected Soon

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3:43pm: Though the Indians aren't entirely out on Willingham, they haven't made him an official offer, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter link).

2:35pm: The Twins are the front-runner for Willingham, Rosenthal tweets. The Reds are not involved, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter).

2:23pm: The Indians are out on Willingham, Rosenthal tweets. At this point, we know the Twins and up to two more teams remain in the mix.

1:56pm: The Indians are believed to be in the mix for Willingham, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Rays and Rockies are out.

1:15pm: Agent Matt Sosnick told Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Josh Willingham "has three viable options" available to him. The free agent outfielder and his wife will make a decision within 48 hours, possibly as soon as today.

The Twins are one of Willingham's three options and though Sosnick didn't mention the other clubs by name, it wouldn't be surprising if the Indians and Rockies remain in the mix. Both clubs were linked to Willingham over the weekend. The Rockies and Twins also have interest in free agent Michael Cuddyer. 

Willingham is a Type A free agent who declined his team's offer of arbitration, but it won't cost a draft pick to sign him under modified free agent compensation rules. Many other clubs, including the Rays, have expressed interest in Willingham this offseason.

Brewers Notes: Rollins, Ramirez, Fielder

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The Brewers grabbed headlines on the trade and free agent market yesterday. Here’s more news from Milwaukee…

  • Before signing Aramis Ramirez, the Brewers pursued Jimmy Rollins and told agent Dan Lozano that they'd be willing to offer a four-year deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. "We can’t and sit and wait like other clubs," GM Doug Melvin told Rosenthal.
  • Ramirez will earn just $6MM in 2012, according to Rosenthal. He'll earn $10MM in 2013 and $16MM in 2014 with a $4MM buyout on a mutual option for 2015, Rosenthal reports. The 2014 salary includes $6MM in deferred money.
  • Melvin explained to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that a small market team such as Milwaukee doesn’t generally sign top free agents such as Prince Fielder (Twitter link). "We have to face the reality of the smallest market and the best young player in free agency and how does it work," the GM said.
  • The Boras Corporation put together a 73-page binder detailing Fielder's accomplishments and ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick explains how it ended up in the slugger's 'man cave' beside his Sliver Slugger awards. One unnamed GM admits to looking forward to annual books on Boras clients: "I think they're a curiosity," the GM said. "It's kind of like the Sports Illustrated swimsuit calendar," the GM told Crasnick. "You look forward to it coming out each year. But you're not really going to do anything about it."

Cardinals, Schumaker Agree To Two-Year Deal

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The Cardinals agreed to a two-year, $3MM deal with utility infielder Skip Schumaker, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN). Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported that the sides were nearing a deal.

Schumaker posted a .283/.333/.351 line in 400 plate appearances while playing second base and all three outfield positions for the 2011 Cardinals (he also pitched in one game, striking out two of the five batters he faced). In seven seasons with St. Louis, the CAA client has a .290/.346/.378 line. The contract buys out Schumaker's final season of arbitration eligibility and first season of free agency. The 31-year-old was a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $3.1MM.

Rafael Furcal is returning to St. Louis and the Cardinals have expressed interest in working Daniel Descalso and Tyler Greene into the lineup in 2012. The Cardinals non-tendered Ryan Theriot last night.

International Notes: Darvish, Soler

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The Orioles are nearing a deal with Tsuyoshi Wada, but they’re far from the only team that’s eyeing players on the international market. Here’s the latest, starting with another Japanese pitcher…

  • If the high bid for Yu Darvish is substantial, "he will be far less likely to settle on a contract he believes fair," Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes. Darvish, who believes the posting system is unfair, would prefer to play for a West Coast team, Passan reports. 
  • Some teams prefer Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler to Yoenis Cespedes, Jim Callis of Baseball America writes. Had Soler been available in the 2010 amateur draft, Callis expects he would have been a top-five selection. Callis compares Soler to Royals outfield prospect Bubba Starling and says he's more talented than Leonys Martin of the Rangers.

MLB Teams Non-Tender 29 Players

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Major League teams non-tendered multiple former All-Stars last night and it won't be surprising if some of the 29 players re-establish themselves as Major League difference makers. For now, however, they're free agents, cut loose because their former teams didn't believe they would have been worth retaining through arbitration.

Here's a detailed explanation of what it means to non-tender a player and here's a link to our non-tender tracker. What follows is a position-by-position listing of the new arrivals on the free agent market:

Catchers (5)

Second basemen (2)

Shortstops (1)

Outfielders (5)

Utility infielders (2)

Starting Pitchers (2)

Right-handed relievers (7)

Left-handed relievers (5)

Two fifths (41%) of all non-tenders were non-closing relievers. Saunders and, to a lesser extent, Reyes will likely draw substantial interest as free agent starters.

From an offensive standpoint, the 15 position players were a feeble bunch in 2011. None of them exceeded a .271 average (Keppinger), a .325 on-base percentage (Conrad), a .402 slugging percentage (Scott) or nine homers (Scott) this past season (minimum 50 plate appearances).

Orioles Nearing Deal With Tsuyoshi Wada

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11:22am: The Orioles are "really working on" a deal for Chen as well, tweets Connolly. There's more competition for Chen, who will likely cost more than Wada in terms of years and dollars.

9:35am: The sides are nearing a two-year, $8.15MM deal that will include an option for 2014, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links).

8:46am: The Orioles are closing in on a multiyear deal with Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles haven't finalized an agreement with the free agent, but they're "getting there." 

Wada posted a 1.51 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in 2011. The 30-year-old is a Dallas Braden type with "a 86-87 mph fastball, a good circle change, and a solid slider," according to Patrick Newman of FanGraphs. 

Connolly notes that the Orioles remain interested in left-hander Wei-Yin Chen. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested in November that a four-year, $20MM deal might be enough to sign the 26-year-old free agent. He posted a 2.68 ERA with 5.1 K/9 in 164 2/3 innings this past season.

Dodgers Eyeing MacDougal, Kuo

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The Dodgers are done shopping for position players and are now looking for a reliever, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (all Twitter links). The team continues to talk to free agent right-hander Mike MacDougal and has potential interest in left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo.

The Dodgers non-tendered Kuo last night, partly since they aren’t sure if he’s interested in pitching in 2012. "That's part of what we have to figure out," GM Ned Colletti said, according to Hernandez. Kuo, 30, struggled in 2011, when an anxiety disorder limited him to 27 innings. However, he has a career 3.73 ERA with 10.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 40.9% ground ball rate.

MacDougal, an 11-year veteran, also spent the 2011 season with the Dodgers. He posted a 2.05 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 4.6 BB/9 and a 60.9% ground ball rate in 57 innings. Though MacDougal's ground ball rate ranked tenth in MLB among pitchers with 50 innings pitched, metrics like xFIP (4.02) and SIERA (3.80) suggest good luck held his ERA down this past season.

Rockies Pushing For Beltran Or Cuddyer

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The Rockies are expressing strong interest in Michael Cuddyer and Carlos Beltran in an attempt to sign one of the free agent outfielders, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). They have offered Cuddyer more than $25MM over three years, which is what Minnesota offered him earlier in the offseason.

Beltran, 34, hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 homers for the Mets and Giants in 2011. The Giants were not allowed to offer Beltran arbitration, so he won't cost a draft pick. Cuddyer is a modified Type A free agent who won't cost a draft pick either.

Lotte Giants Sign Chong Tae-Hyon

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Chong Tae-Hyon won't be joining the Orioles' bullpen in 2012. The Korean reliever signed with the Lotte Giants of the Korean Baseball Organization after extended discussions with the Orioles, according to a Yonhap News Agency article passed along by Dan of MyKBO.net.

Tae-Hyon, who had a possible liver issue, signed for $3.1MM over four years. The Orioles were nearing a two-year, $3MM deal with him last month.

Marlins Notes: Hanley, Buehrle, Badenhop

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The Marlins non-tendered Clay Hensley and traded Burke Badenhop last night, eliminating any doubt that their bullpen will look considerably different in 2012. Here are some more notes on the Marlins, one of the most aggressive spenders in baseball so far this offseason…

  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests the Marlins should trade Hanley Ramirez and considers possible suitors such as the Mariners, Tigers and Giants.
  • Rosenthal also notes that the Mariners are having trouble luring free agents to Seattle and that the Tigers have shown a willingness to move Jacob Turner in the right deal.
  • Mark Buehrle's backloaded deal with the Marlins will act as a no-trade clause of sorts, according to Rosenthal (Twitter links). The left-hander will earn $6MM in 2012, $11MM in 2013, $18MM in 2014 and $19MM in 2015. The deal also includes a $4MM signing bonus that's deferred without interest.
  • Badenhop told Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that the deal was “kind of nuts. I really wasn’t expecting that to say the least.” Badenhop was the last player remaining in Miami from the 2007 deal that sent Miguel Cabrera to Detroit.

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