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Yakult Swallows Sign Balentien, Milledge, Barnette

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The Yakult Swallows of Japan's Central League have signed three prominent players to multi-year contracts, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned. Outfielder Wladimir Balentien obtains a three-year, $7.5MM contract for the 2014-16 seasons. Outfielder Lastings Milledge obtains a three-year, $4.4MM contract on a deal that includes a mutual option for 2016. Lastly, closer Tony Barnette obtains a two-year, $3.2MM contract.

Balentien, 28, will earn $950K in 2013 because an option in his previous contract vested. The Octagon client hit 31 home runs and posted a .272/.386/.572 batting line in 422 plate appearances this past season. Balentien, a three-year veteran of the big leagues, last appeared at the MLB level in 2009.

Milledge, a former first round pick and top prospect on this side of the Pacific, produced at the plate in Japan this past season. The 27-year-old posted a .300/.379/.485 batting line and added 21 home runs in 546 plate appearances.

Barnette saved 33 games for the Yakult Swallows in 2012. The 29-year-old right-hander posted a 1.82 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 54 1/3 innings.

Tigers To Sign Anibal Sanchez

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The Tigers announced that they have agreed to sign free agent right-hander Anibal Sanchez to a five-year contract that includes a 2018 club option. The deal is valued at $80MM according to, Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who first reported the deal (on Twitter).

“Anibal pitched tremendously for us down the stretch and during the post-season,” Tigers president and GM Dave Dombrowski said. “He strengthens our starting rotation and we are pleased to have him back with the Tigers organization.” 

Anibal Sanchez - Tigers (PW)

Agent Gene Mato represents Sanchez, who agrees to terms with Detroit after coming close to a deal with the Cubs. Cubs ownership and Theo Epstein offered Sanchez a $77MM contract in Miami last week, but the Tigers jumped in and won the bidding, Nightengale reports (on Twitter). The Red Sox also talked to Sanchez, but didn't go as high as $80MM, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

Acquired from Miami in a midseason trade, Sanchez struggled upon arriving in Detroit but pitched well in September and in the postseason. The five-year preserves the Tigers' formidable rotation. Led by Justin Verlander, the group also includes Max Scherzer, Doug Fister, Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly. It's possible Porcello will become a trade candidate once the Tigers complete their deal with Sanchez; the 23-year-old has already drawn interest from a number of National League teams.

Sanchez posted a 3.86 ERA with 7.7 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 46.4% ground ball rate in 195 2/3 regular season innings this past season. The 28-year-old also started three playoff games for Detroit, posting a 1.77 ERA in 20 1/3 postseason innings. His average fastball checks in just shy of 92 mph and he generates swings and misses on approximately one in ten offerings, according to FanGraphs.

The Red Sox signed Sanchez as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela in 2001 then, four years later, they traded him and Hanley Ramirez to the Marlins in the deal that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston. The Tigers acquired Sanchez and Omar Infante from Miami in a trade this past July.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Sanchez fourth among free agents, and second among pitchers behind only Zack Greinke. Sanchez would not have been linked to draft pick compensation if he had signed elsewhere, since he was traded midseason.

As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows, Sanchez's deal exceeds C.J. Wilson's five-year, $77.5MM contract and falls just shy of the five-year, $82.5MM contracts signed by John Lackey and A.J. Burnett.

Edwin Jackson, Kyle Lohse and Shaun Marcum are among the top remaining free agent starters, as MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

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Olney On Blue Jays, Dickey, Drew, Rangers

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Baseball people who have had the Blue Jays decline past trade proposals involving Travis d'Arnaud are “completely shocked” that GM Alex Anthopoulos has agreed to send the catching prospect to the Mets for R.A. Dickey, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. "He's out of his mind," an AL official said of the Blue Jays GM. Here are some more notes from around MLB, starting with Dickey…

  • One longtime agent not involved in the extension talks between the Blue Jays and the knuckleballer said a three-year extension in the $40-45MM range would be fair for both sides, Olney reports. It’d be a surprise of Dickey gets that kind of money, however. The Mets offered him an additional $20MM over two years and he sought an additional $26MM for that two-year period.
  • Rival evaluators believe this could be an extraordinary return for the Mets.
  • The A’s had interest in Stephen Drew, but didn’t want to overpay to keep him. Drew, who recently agreed to sign with the Red Sox, has declining range in the view of some rival scouts.
  • Olney wonders if the Rangers might pursue Jason Kubel if they can’t agree with Arizona on a trade involving Justin Upton. Some MLB executives wonder if the Rangers overvalue their own prospects, according to Olney.
  • Some evaluators say the Angels have an awesome offense but that their pitching staff lacks depth.

Athletics, Nakajima Nearing Deal

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The Athletics are nearing a deal with shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report (Twitter links). Nakajima, a free agent, also had offers to return to Japan, according to the FOX Sports writers. The A's have announced a news conference that will take place tomorrow and feature GM Billy Beane and a "special guest."

When Nakajima was available via the posting system last winter, the Yankees submitted the winning bid. However, the sides did not reach a deal, and instead Nakajima returned to the Seibu Lions on a one-year, $3.64MM contract.

Nakajima, 30, posted a .311/.382/.451 batting line for the Lions in 2012. The right-handed hitter has a similar career mark of .310/.381/.474.

Rakuten Eagles To Sign Andruw Jones

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SUNDAY: The Rakuten Eagles have officially announced the signing of Jones, reports the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

TUESDAY: Andruw Jones has agreed to play in Japan for the Rakuten Eagles, according to an Associated Press report (via ESPN.com). Nikkan Sports reported the agreement four days ago (via Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker). Jones, a client of the Boras Corporation, will earn $3.5MM or so assuming he passes his physical, according to Nikkan Sports.

Jones played for the Yankees in 2012, hitting 14 home runs and posting a .197/.294/.408 batting line in 269 plate appearances. The 35-year-old played both corner outfield positions and earned a $2MM salary. A right-handed hitter known for his success against left-handed pitching (.258/.357/.496 career batting line), Jones hit ten of his 14 home runs against southpaws in 2012.

The 17-year MLB veteran has 434 career home runs, ten Gold Gloves and five All-Star appearances. Though his production declined after he turned 30, Jones has still been worth 59.5 wins above replacement and could be considered a Hall of Fame candidate.

Angels Sign Josh Hamilton

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For the second time in as many offseasons, the Angels have signed the top free agent position player to a surprising long-term contract. The Angels have officially signed Josh Hamilton a five-year contract worth $125MM, the team announced. The deal is slightly backloaded and includes a no-trade clause. The outfielder is represented by Moye Sports Associates.

MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez and Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times have the contract breakdown (Twitter links). Hamilton gets $10MM up front and will earn $15MM in 2013 and 2014, $23MM in 2015, and $30MM in 2016 and 2017. The remaining $2MM goes to his charity. DiGiovanna and Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times report that the contract does not include any special language regarding Hamilton's off-the-field problems, though the team has hired Shayne Kelly, his accountability partner, away from the Rangers (Twitter links).

Josh Hamilton - Rangers (PW)

To the surprise of many, the Angels signed Albert Pujols to a ten-year deal at last year's Winter Meetings. One year later, owner Arte Moreno and GM Jerry Dipoto have struck again, luring Hamilton away from their division rival and adding him to a lineup that already includes Pujols and Mike Trout.

The Dodgers have generated considerable attention for their free-spending ways this offseason, but Moreno will not be overshadowed. Both Zack Greinke, MLBTR's top ranked free agent, and Hamilton, our top ranked position player, ended up signing with Los Angeles' teams.

Hamilton received and turned down a qualifying offer from the Rangers, which means he'll be linked to draft pick compensation. The Rangers will obtain a compensatory selection for losing Hamilton, and the Angels will have to surrender their top pick (#22 overall) in 2013.

Texas GM Jon Daniels is not pleased with the way the negotiations ended, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports (on Twitter). The GM did not get a call to match Los Angeles' offer, as expected. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Rangers had been willing to offer four years to retain Hamilton (Twitter link).

The Angels have shown interest in R.A. Dickey, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter). Perhaps Dipoto will pursue a trade for the defending NL Cy Young winner using Peter Bourjos as trade bait. Bourjos, Kendrys Morales and Mark Trumbo could be trade candidates, since Trout and Hamilton will presumably occupy two outfield spots for Los Angeles. However, the Angels have said they are keeping Trumbo, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter).

The deal will push the Angels' payroll to the $165MM range, as Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com points out (on Twitter). It would represent a franchise record, but would not push the team past baseball's luxury tax.

Joe McDonnell of FoxSportsWest.com first reported that the Angels were involved in serious talks with Hamilton (Twitter link) and Yahoo's Tim Brown first reported that the sides were nearing a deal (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement and later added details (Twitter links), as did ESPN Dallas and MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (on Twitter). Photo courtesy of US Presswire. Mike Axia cotributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Wainwright, LaRoche, Durbin, Orioles

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The latest links from around MLB…

  • Agent Steve Hammond told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he expects to speak with Cardinals executives about the possibility of an extension for right-hander Adam Wainwright in Spring Training. Wainwright’s entering the final year of his contract with the Cardinals. Goold heard leading up to the Winter Meetings that the sides have not held “substantive” talks this offseason.
  • The Nationals made Adam LaRoche a two-year, $25MM contract offer, but they haven’t boosted their proposal, Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post reports. It’s possible the Rangers or Orioles could get involved in the bidding for the free agent first baseman. 
  • Free agent reliever Chad Durbin is on his way to California to meet with interested teams, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). Durbin, 35, posted a 3.10 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 61 innings for the Braves this past season.
  • Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com wonders if Orioles executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette will pursue free agent infielder Kelly Johnson. The Orioles have suggested they’re satisfied with internal second base options such as Brian Roberts, Alexi Casilla, Ryan Flaherty and Yamaico Navarro, but Dubroff suggests Johnson could be a “nice addition.”

Blue Jays, Mets Close To R.A. Dickey Trade

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All signs point to the Mets trading R.A. Dickey, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The sides aren't progressing toward an extension, and Dickey's one-year, $5MM salary seems quite appealing to teams seeking pitching. Here are today's Dickey rumors, with the most recent items up top…

  • The Blue Jays and Mets are close to agreeing on a trade that would send Dickey to Toronto, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The names in the trade aren't finalized, but outfielder Anthony Gose is likely to be included in the deal.  The Mets also are expected to acquire either J.P. Arencibia or Travis d’Arnaud.  However, the Blue Jays are looking to get more out of the deal if they surrender d'Arnaud.
  • D'Arnaud is very much in play in the talks, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The deal would be bigger, however, with multiple pieces going both ways.

Earlier updates:

  • The Mets may be landing d'Arnaud in the deal, Heyman tweets.
  • Travis d'Arnaud was a "must have" during the winter meetings for a deal with the Blue Jays to happen, sources tell Andy Martino of the Daily News (via Twitter).
  • Two sources involved in the talks say not to expect any resolution with Dickey tonight, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.
  • The Mets and Blue Jays have made progress on a potential deal, Morosi reports (on Twitter). They aren't in agreement at this point.
  • It looks like the Mets have a good offer from the Blue Jays, Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog reports (on Twitter). The Mets still appear to be talking to the Angels and Orioles.
  • A high-ranking executive of a team that pursued Dickey believes the knuckleballer is being traded to Toronto, Morosi reports (on Twitter).
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels said on MLB Network Radio that if Dickey is being traded it's not to Texas, Casey Stern of MLB Network Radio reports (Twitter link, audio here). Daniels acknowledged that he had some dialogue about Dickey.
  • The Blue Jays are growing confident they will acquire Dickey, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 the FAN would characterize the Blue Jays as "hopeful" (Twitter link).
  • The Mets were interested in Buckel, though he wasn't necessarily being offered, Martino clarifies (on Twitter).

Read more

Outrighted To Triple-A: Konrad Schmidt

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The latest outright assignments from around MLB… 

  • The Rangers announced that they outrighted catcher Konrad Schmidt to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. Schmidt, who was claimed off of waivers from Arizona in October, will still get an invitation to MLB Spring Training. The 28-year-old appeared in four games for the Diamondbacks in 2012, spending most of the season at Triple-A Reno, where he posted a .277/.338/.413 in 374 plate appearances.

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