Ben Nicholson-Smith | MLB Trade Rumors

Astros Acquire John Ely

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 1:35pm CDT

The Astros announced that they acquired right-hander John Ely from the Dodgers for minor league left-hander Rob Rasmussen. The Dodgers now have 39 players on the 40 man roster.

Ely appeared in two games for the Dodgers in 2012, but spent most of the season at Triple-A. The 26-year-old led the Triple-A Pacific Coast League with a 3.20 ERA in 168 2/3 innings. Ely, a former third round selection of the White Sox, started 18 games for the Dodgers in 2010, posting a 5.49 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 100 innings. He has just shy of one year of MLB service (167 days).

Rasmussen, 23, was a second round draft pick of the Marlins in 2010. The Astros acquired him from Miami along with Matt Dominguez for Carlos Lee this past summer. In 142 innings at Class A and Double A, Rasmussen posted a 4.25 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.

Red Sox Designate Pedro Beato For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 1:14pm CDT

The Red Sox announced that they designated right-hander Pedro Beato for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for Ryan Dempster, whose two-year deal became official today.

Beato, 26, joined the Red Sox in August as the player to be named later in the Kelly Shoppach trade. He appeared in four games for the Red Sox after pitching in seven games for the Mets. Beato spent most of the 2012 season in the minor leagues, where he posted a 3.33 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 46 innings of work.

Blue Jays Claim Mickey Storey

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 1:06pm CDT

The Blue Jays announced that they claimed right-hander Mickey Storey off of waivers from the Astros. Toronto's 40-man roster is full after claiming Storey, who had been designated for assignment by Houston two days ago.

It's been a busy month for Storey. The Yankees claimed him off of waivers from Houston on November 20th, only to designate him for assignment in early December. Houston then claimed Storey back off of waivers, before removing him from the 40-man roster on Monday.

Storey made 26 relief appearances for the Astros this past season. The 26-year-old posted a 3.86 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 30 1/3 innings at the MLB level. He also spent considerable time at Triple-A in 2012, posting a 3.05 ERA with 10.0 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 65 innings.

Tigers Sell Adam Wilk, Outright Matt Hoffman

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 12:20pm CDT

The Tigers announced that they released left-hander Adam Wilk after selling his contract to a team in the Korean Baseball League. The team also announced that left-hander Matt Hoffman has been outrighted to Triple-A.

Wilk started three games for the Tigers this past season, posting an 8.18 ERA in 11 innings. The 25-year-old spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.77 ERA with 7.7 K/9 in 149 2/3 innings over the course of 24 starts. Hoffman also spent the 2012 season at Triple-A Toledo. The 24-year-old posted a 3.69 ERA with 6.2 K/9 in 46 1/3 innings of relief work.

Red Sox To Sign Ryan Dempster

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 12:12pm CDT

The Red Sox announced that they will formally introduce Ryan Dempster at Fenway Park today. The Red Sox agreed to sign the free agent right-hander to a two-year, $26.5MM contract last week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported (Twitter links). LSW Baseball represents Dempster.

Dempster, 35, posted a 3.38 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 43.5% ground ball rate in 173 innings for the Cubs and Rangers in 2012. The 15-year veteran saw his average fastball velocity dip below 90 mph, but he continued generating swings and misses. His 10.4% swinging strike rate was right around his career mark of 10.8%. He's not linked to draft pick compensation, which means the Red Sox won't have to surrender a pick to complete the deal.

Earlier in the offseason Dempster turned down a two-year, $25MM offer from the Boston. The Brewers also made a two-year offer and the Royals were interested. Dempster ranked 16th on MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents this year.

The Red Sox needed rotation depth for the 2013 season. Their rotation options now include Dempster, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, John Lackey and Franklin Morales.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Rangers Met With Cody Ross

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 10:54am CDT

Free agent outfielder Cody Ross visited the Rangers yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Ross had dinner with team officials, including manager Ron Washington and GM Jon Daniels. Yesterday was a busy recruiting day for the Rangers, who also met with free agent catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

The Phillies, Braves, Mariners, Red Sox, Yankees, Mets and Orioles have all been linked to Ross so far this offseason. However, the Red Sox don’t appear to have room in their outfield for Ross at this point. Earlier in the offseason it was reported that the SFX client has an asking price of $25MM over three years.

Ross, who turns 32 on Sunday, posted a .267/.326/.481 batting line in 528 plate appearances for the Red Sox this past season. He contributed 22 home runs and 34 doubles while earning $3MM. Ross has considerable experience playing all three outfield positions, though he appeared in just seven games as a center fielder in 2012. He ranked 22nd on MLBTR’s list of top 50 free agents.

Twins, Rockies, Reds Interested In Freddy Garcia

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 10:43am CDT

The Twins, Rockies and Reds are among the teams that have checked in on free agent right-hander Freddy Garcia, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link). Garcia, who turned 36 in October, is represented by Peter E. Greenberg & Associates.

Garcia spent this past season with the Yankees, posting a 5.20 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 40.2% ground ball rate in 107 1/3 innings. The 14-year veteran made 17 starts and appeared in 13 games as a reliever in 2012, earning a base salary of $4MM in 2012. His fastball velocity checked in below 90mph, as usual (87.5 mph on average).

Garcia hasn’t been linked to any other teams so far this offseason, but it’s not surprising to see that the Twins and Rockies checked in given that both clubs have been looking to add pitching depth. The Reds already have a full rotation, yet might be interested in Garcia as a long reliever.

Marlins Eyeing Tejada, Polanco, Inge

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 9:28am CDT

Unimpressed by the third base market, the Marlins are turning to some veteran free agents with experience at the position. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports that the Marlins have been checking out Miguel Tejada in winter ball (Twitter link). The team has also kicked the tires on Placido Polanco and Brandon Inge, Stark reports.

Tejada didn't play at the MLB level in 2012, though the Orioles signed him to a minor league contract in May. The Diamondbacks are also interested in the 38-year-old and have offered him a minor league deal. Tejada, an SFX client, last appeared at the MLB level in 2011, posting a .239/.270/.326 batting line in 343 plate appearances with the Giants.

The market for Polanco has been quiet since the Phillies declined their half of the $5.5MM mutual option on his contract. The 37-year-old posted a .257/.302/.327 batting line in 328 plate appearances this past season, missing time with back injuries. ACES represents Polanco.

Similarly, the market for Inge has seemed quiet to this point in the offseason. The 35-year-old posted a .218/.275/.383 batting line with 12 home runs for the Tigers and Athletics this past season. Oakland hadn't ruled out re-signing the ACES client as of early November.

New York Notes: Mets, Ibanez, Hairston

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 8:30am CDT

As the Yankees take aim at a third consecutive AL East title, the Mets are working toward their first division title since 2006. Here's the latest on New York's two MLB teams…

While Sandy Alderson and the Mets appears to have done well to obtain top prospects Travis d'Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard for R.A. Dickey, the GM will ultimately be assessed by how those players fare at the MLB level, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Sherman shows that the prospects traded for Cy Young winners haven’t done particularly well in the Major Leagues in recent years.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he’s open to talking to free agents or discussing trades with other clubs, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. The GM confirmed that he continues talking to Raul Ibanez and his agent, but declined to discuss his interest in free agent outfielder Scott Hairston. Ibanez could become the Yankees’ DH and Hairston could balance out the team’s lefty-heavy outfield.

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 19, 2012 at 7:42am 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.

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