Ben Nicholson-Smith | MLB Trade Rumors

Phillies Claim Mauricio Robles

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 14, 2012 at 2:29pm CDT

The Phillies announced that they claimed Mauricio Robles off of waivers from the Mariners. Seattle had designated the left-hander for assignment six days ago.

Robles, 23, posted a 5.78 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 7.9 BB/9 in 43 total games in the upper minors this past season. In parts of seven minor league seasons he has a 4.15 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9. The Phillies already have left-handed relievers such as Antonio Bastardo, Jeremy Horst and Raul Valdes on their 40-man roster.

Yankees Designate Josh Spence For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 14, 2012 at 2:11pm CDT

The Yankees announced that they designated left-hander Josh Spence for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for recently-signed infielder Kevin Youkilis.

The Yankees acquired Spence last month when they claimed him off of waivers from the Padres. The 24-year-old appeared in 11 games for San Diego this past season, posting a 4.35 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 10 1/3 innings. In 40 career innings at the MLB level, Spence has a 3.15 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9. The Padres originally selected him in the ninth round of the 2010 draft.

Angels Likely To Trade Outfielder

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 14, 2012 at 1:38pm CDT

The Angels have a surplus of outfielders following their agreement with Josh Hamilton, and there’s reason to believe GM Jerry Dipoto will make a deal to balance out his roster. The Angels are “very likely” to trade an outfielder such as Peter Bourjos or Mark Trumbo for a pitcher, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Depending on the return, either player could be moved. Trumbo seems less available than Bourjos, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

The Mets seem like a natural trade partner for the Angels given their willingness to listen to offers for R.A. Dickey and their need for outfielders. However, it doesn't sound as though Trumbo or Bourjos would be an ideal fit in a deal for Dickey based on reports out of New York yesterday.

Both Bourjos and Trumbo will remain under team control through 2016 and won't be arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season. Earlier today, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs explained that Bourjos closely resembles Cameron Maybin and suggested he’d be a worthwhile pickup for a team in need of a center fielder.

MLBTR Seeking Comment Moderators

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 14, 2012 at 1:30pm CDT

MLBTR is now looking for additional moderators to read through comments and make sure that they're not in violation of our commenting policy. We're looking for people to contribute throughout the week, including on weekends.

It's not a paid position, but it will keep you connected to the latest trade and free agent rumors. If you're a frequent MLBTR commenter who can help us keep the comment section clean, send a short e-mail to mlbtrmods@gmail.com with the following: your username, the email (or other) account you use to comment on MLBTR, your availability, and a short explanation as to why you'd be a good fit. If you're responsible, respectful and interested in contributing at MLBTR, we want to hear from you.

Heyman On Hamilton, Sanchez, Tigers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 14, 2012 at 12:50pm CDT

The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links)…

While the Rangers didn’t offer Josh Hamilton a guaranteed five-year deal, they offered him a contract that could have gotten him to five years (presumably via contract options). There’s no language in Hamilton’s five-year, $125MM contract with the Angels about his past issues, Heyman reports.
A couple of rival executives are “aghast” over Anibal Sanchez’s five-year, $80MM contract with the Tigers. Heyman suggests Sanchez is a better bet than C.J. Wilson, who signed for $77.5MM over five years last December.
Heyman’s colleague Danny Knobler heard the Rangers are a possibility for Rick Porcello, who has also drawn interest from a number of National League teams, including the Pirates and Padres.

Olney On Hamilton, Tigers, Angels, Bauer

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 14, 2012 at 11:00am CDT

Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and the 2013 Angels will all benefit from Josh Hamilton's recent agreement with Los Angeles, ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes. However, Mike Scioscia, Torii Hunter and the Mariners probably won’t benefit from the deal, according to Olney. Here are some more reactions to the deal, and a look at the impact it will have. Now for some more of Olney’s notes from around MLB…

The Hamilton deal was made over the head of the Angels' baseball operations department, Olney reports (on Twitter).
Rival general managers had correctly predicted Anibal Sanchez would sign with the Tigers, Olney writes. The Tigers have made it known for weeks that they'd be willing to listen to offers for Rick Porcello, according to Olney. It now seems as though Porcello has become a trade candidate.
Peter Bourjos drew lots of trade interest in the first few weeks of the offseason, Olney reports. While Bourjos could be moved, the Angels have told teams they're keeping Mark Trumbo.
The Diamondbacks had talked to other teams about deals involving Trevor Bauer before this year's trade deadline, Olney reports.

Royals Sign Xavier Nady

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 14, 2012 at 9:39am CDT

The Royals announced that they signed outfielder Xavier Nady to a minor league contract. The deal figures to include an invitation to Spring Training, though the Royals won't confirm their list of invitees until later in the winter.

Nady spent the 2012 season with the Nationals and Giants, appearing in 59 games at the MLB level. The 34-year-old client of the Boras Corporation posted a .184/.253/.316 batting line in 166 plate appearances while playing left and right field. However, Nady has a career batting line of .270/.324/.432 in 11 MLB seasons. A right-handed hitter, Nady has a career .284/.352/.441 line against left-handers. In that respect he resembles Royals outfielder Jeff Francoeur, who also hits lefties better than he hits righties.

Cardinals To Sign Ty Wigginton

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 14, 2012 at 7:23am CDT

The Cardinals have agreed to sign utility player Ty Wigginton to a two-year deal in the $5MM range, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). Wigginton, an ACES client with 11 years of MLB experience, will provide the Cardinals with a versatile right-handed bat.

Wigginton will earn $2.5MM per season in 2013 and 2014, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).The agreement is pending a physical.

Wigginton spent the 2012 season with the Phillies, posting a .235/.314/.375 batting line with 11 home runs and 11 doubles in 360 plate appearances. The 35-year-old played first base, third base and left field for the Phillies, who acquired him from Colorado in a trade following the 2011 season. He had signed a two-year, $8MM contract with the Rockies covering the 2010-11 seasons. The Phillies declined a $4MM club option on Wigginton in October, preferring a $500K buyout.

Like Skip Schumaker, who was recently traded by St. Louis to Los Angeles, Wigginton has considerable experience in the infield and in the outfield. Unlike Schumaker, he's a right-handed hitter who has a history of success against left-handed pitching. Wigginton has a career .270/.354/.456 line against southpaws, including a .234/.360/.411 line against them this past season.

Quick Hits: Rangers, Youkilis, Swisher

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 13, 2012 at 3:39pm CDT

The latest links from around MLB on a day Josh Hamilton obtained a $125MM deal from the Angels…

The Rangers haven’t pushed hard for free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). It appears that they’ll look at other options following the departure of Hamilton. However, Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com reports that LaRoche's name came up today and that Texas might be willing to offer three years (Twitter link).
The Rangers would like to add a pitcher, and are looking at mid-rotation starters, including Edwin Jackson, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.
Managers Robin Ventura and Bobby Valentine reflected on Kevin Youkilis' 2012 season with Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Also within the piece, Sherman shows that the Giants won the 2012 World Series without spending more than $1.25MM on a free agent during the winter of 2011-12. Yes, Ryan Theriot was San Francisco's most expensive free agent signing a year ago.
Multiple teams continue pursuing Nick Swisher, but the free agent outfielder is “not even close” to making a decision, Scott Miller of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). At least three clubs are in the mix and a fourth may be involved. The Indians appear to be pursuing Swisher aggressively, and the Red Sox, Phillies, Mariners, Rangers, and Orioles have also been linked to him.

ESPN On Ichiro, Indians, Adams

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 13, 2012 at 3:00pm CDT

Here are some rumors from ESPN.com's baseball writers, starting with a note from Buster Olney (all links go to Twitter)…

Ichiro Suzuki is turning down a two-year, $14MM contract offer from the Phillies to sign with the Yankees, according to Olney.
Asdrubal Cabrera, Justin Masterson and Chris Perez will probably stay put in Cleveland now that the Indians have traded Shin-Soo Choo, Jerry Crasnick reports.
Mike Adams could sign in the next couple of days, Jayson Stark reports. The Nationals, Blue Jays, Phillies, Rangers, Cubs, White Sox, Angels and Brewers have been linked to the free agent reliever, Stark adds.

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