Orioles Maintain Interest In Adam LaRoche
2:40pm: LaRoche is looking for a three-year deal, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
2:13pm: An Orioles source suggests to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli that the sides aren't close to a deal (Twitter links). The Orioles remain "very interested" in the first baseman, however.
1:49pm: The Orioles are closing in on a deal with Adam LaRoche, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter). Earlier today, the Nationals and Padres also appeared to have some interest in LaRoche and the Orioles appeared to have some interest in Derrek Lee.
O's president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has revamped his club's infield this offseason, acquiring Mark Reynolds, J.J. Hardy and Brendan Harris in trades. He did bring back one familiar face, re-signing Cesar Izturis.
Padres Acquire Eric Patterson
The Padres acquired Eric Patterson from the Red Sox, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). He is the player to be named in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). The Red Sox acquired Patterson from the A's for Fabian Williamson this summer.
Patterson, 27, has played second base, left field and center field in his four-year major league career. Given the Padres' outfield depth and need for a second baseman, it seems likely that they've acquiRed Patterson for infield depth. In 204 plate appearances for the A's and Red Sox last year, Patterson hit .214/.272/.406 with 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts.
Indians Sign Adam Everett
The Indians signed Adam Everett to a minor league deal and invited him to Spring Training, the team announced. The 33-year-old will earn $700K plus incentives if he makes the team, or $15K per month at Triple-A, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link). The Nationals and Rockies also expressed interest in the infielder at the Winter Meetings. Career Sports represents Everett.
Everett batted just .185/.221/.247 for the Tigers in 89 plate appearances last year, before Detroit released him. If he can rebound to the .238/.325/.613 line he posted in 2009, the Indians would likely be happy. The defensive specialist has appeared in 846 big league games, but has only played one inning at a position other than shortstop.
Bartlett Trade Holdup Nearly Resolved
THURSDAY, 1:30pm: The issue that slowed the trade down is "nearly resolved," according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 6:23pm: Ramos told Dan Hayes of the North County Times that he's healthy and only on the DL to create roster space (Twitter links). The Padres contacted him yesterday to make sure that he was healthy.
MONDAY, 9:25pm: Ramos, who is now playing in the Mexican League, is on the disabled list, according to MiLB.com. His health may have slowed down trade talks.
FRIDAY, 6:12pm: The Rays are looking to get a second opinion on either Russell or Ramos after the pitchers went through their physicals, says Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. "The problem is not believed to be serious, but there are no guarantees the deal will go through as originally agreed upon," Center writes.
WEDNESDAY, 10:20pm: The deal is done, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
6:43pm: The Rays say they have nothing to announce and that reports of a deal are premature, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter link).
5:45pm: The Padres have acquired Jason Bartlett from the Rays for relievers Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos.
The Padres drafted Bartlett in 2001 and traded him to Minnesota just over one year later for Brian Buchanan. Five years after that, the Twins shipped Bartlett to Tampa Bay with Matt Garza for Delmon Young, so the Padres' new shortstop is no stranger to being dealt.
After a 2009 season in which he made the All-Star team and batted .320/.389/.490, Bartlett slumped to .254/.324/.350 last year. The Rays can now ease Reid Brignac into an everyday role. The 24-year-old batted .256/.307/.385 in 326 plate appearances in his first extended taste of the major leagues.
With seemingly every Rays reliever on the free agent market, and limited spending power, Rays president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had to get creative to find relief help. Russell, a 27-year-old right-hander, pitched 15 2/3 innings for the Padres in 2010, posting 10.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 4.02 ERA. He also appeared in 50 Triple-A games, posting a 4.88 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9. It marks the second time in two years that he's been traded; the Padres acquired him in the 2009 Jake Peavy deal.
Ramos, 26, pitched briefly for the 2010 Padres, but spent much of the season at Triple-A Portland, where he posted a 3.28 ERA as a swingman. He has never struck out an overwhelming number of hitters (5.9 K/9 in 2010) and his walk rate rose to 4.0 BB/9 this year. The lefty turned down the chance to sign with Tampa Bay when they drafted him in the 6th round of the 2002 draft. Three years later, he signed with the Padres after they selected him 35th overall.
The Padres had a vacancy at short since Miguel Tejada signed with the division rival Giants. GM Jed Hoyer met that need with Bartlett, but further depletes a 'pen that saw two relievers head to Florida's other team in the Cameron Maybin deal.
MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter) first reported that the deal was official, Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that the Rays would make a trade (Twitter links), Dan Hayes of the North County Times (Twitter link), Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter link) and Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune also reported on the story as it broke.
Yankees Nearing Deal With Feliciano
FRIDAY, 8:23am: The sides are nearing a two-year agreement that will pay the lefty $4MM per season and include an option for 2013, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
THURSDAY, 12:02pm: The sides have made "a little progress," Feliciano's agent tells Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com.
9:43am: The Yankees are getting closer to a deal with Pedro Feliciano, according to Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record (on Twitter). The 34-year-old is durable, effective against left-handed hitters and used to pitching in New York. Feliciano has led the National League in appearances in each of the past three seasons for the Mets, the team with which he has spent his entire eight-year career. Overall, Feliciano posted a 3.30 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 62 2/3 innings in 2010.
Feliciano limited left-handed hitters to a .211/.297/.276 line last year. He did not allow a home run in 139 matchups against lefty batters.
The Yankees are also looking at Brian Fuentes, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
Odds & Ends: Nady, Rangers, Felix, Gregg
Eight years ago today, the Twins released David Ortiz. He has since hit 291 regular season homers and 12 more in the playoffs, all for the Red Sox. Here are today's links…
- The D'Backs chose Xavier Nady over Austin Kearns, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). Arizona agreed to a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Nady last night.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that he would welcome Vladimir Guerrero back under the right circumstances, but isn't sure when he'll have the team's DH situation resolved.
- The Rangers signed Japanese outfielder Hirotoshi Onaka, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter). He was not selected in the NPB draft.
- The Yankees called the Mariners about Felix Hernandez and heard that he is absolutely not available, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Russell Martin needs knee surgery, but the Yankees don't consider the injury serious, so they signed him anyway, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).
- The Orioles continue to negotiate with Kevin Gregg, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
Blue Jays Sign Edwin Encarnacion
The Blue Jays announced that they signed Edwin Encarnacion to a one-year, $2.5MM contract that includes a club option for $3.5MM in 2012. The team says Encarnacion will play first base/DH, instead of third base, where he spent last season.
The A's claimed the infielder off of waivers from the Blue Jays only to non-tender him a month later. Encarnacion would have been due for a raise from the $4.75MM salary he earned in 2010 if the A's or Blue Jays had gone to arbitration with him.
Encarnacion, who turns 28 next month, hit .244/.305/.482 with 21 homers in 367 plate appearances for the Blue Jays last year. He surged at the end of the season, homering in his last four games. He has a career .266/.373/.474 line against left-handed pitchers, so he could spell Adam Lind against lefties given Lind's struggles against southpaws.
Unless the Blue Jays intend to play Jose Bautista at third, they still have an opening at the hot corner. The Rays and Indians also had some interest in Encarnacion. Wasserman Media Group represents Encarnacion.
Rays To Sign Joel Peralta
The Rays have agreed to sign Joel Peralta for about $900K, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The Nationals non-tendered Peralta earlier in the month, after a strong 2010 campaign.
Peralta, 35 in March, posted a 2.02 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 49 innings of work for the Nationals in 2010. A late bloomer who didn't reach the major leagues until his age 29 season, Peralta has a 4.22 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 260 career relief appearances. He has always generated lots of fly balls and this year ranked fifth in fly ball rate (55.6%) among big league relievers with at least 40 innings pitched.
The Rays re-signed another 2010 non-tender, J.P. Howell, earlier in the week, but their bullpen figures to look considerably different next year. Joaquin Benoit and Randy Choate have already agreed to deals elsewhere and Rafael Soriano, Lance Cormier, Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls and are all free agents.
Nats, O’s, Padres Pursuing Lee & LaRoche
The Nationals, Orioles and Padres are pursuing both Derrek Lee and Adam LaRoche, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Padres have less money to spend than the Nationals and Orioles, so they seem less likely to sign one of the first basemen.
LaRoche may command a multiyear deal, but Lee is telling teams he’s open to a one-year contract, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Heyman also reports (on Twitter) that the Nationals are very much in on Lee. Six teams reportedly have interest in the longtime Cub.
The Diamondbacks, however, are likely “out” on Lee after agreeing to terms with Xavier Nady, according to Rosenthal and Morosi.
Mariners Looking To Trade David Aardsma
The Mariners are trying to trade David Aardsma, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. As Rosenthal points out, the reliever will earn a raise from his 2010 salary of $2.75MM when he and the Mariners determine his upcoming salary through the arbitration process.
The Red Sox have missed out on a number of free agent relievers, so it would not be surprising to see them try to reacquire Aardsma, who turns 29 later this month. Kevin Gregg, who has drawn interest from a number of clubs, such as the Orioles and Red Sox, is among the possible replacements for Aardsma, Rosenthal reports.
Like Gregg, Aardsma generally posts high strikeout, walk and save totals. In 49 2/3 innings last year, he posted a 3.44 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. Aardsma has likely seen his trade value jump because of the rising cost of free agent relievers, as MLBTR's Mike Axisa explains here.