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Indians Designate Rafael Perez For Assignment

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The Indians designated left-handed reliever Rafael Perez for assignment, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter). The team added Nick Hagadone to the 40-man roster in a related move.

Perez, 30, had been a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $2MM. The Indians can still trade Perez, though a release seems more likely. He appeared in just eight games this past season, spending considerable time on the disabled list with a strained lat. In seven years at the MLB level, Perez has a 3.64 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.

Yankees, Andy Pettitte Nearing Deal

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7:28pm: Pettitte has committed to playing next year but no deal has been reached yet between the pitcher and the Yankees, a source told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).

7:20am: Andy Pettitte is close to formally announcing he's going to pitch again in 2013, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports. Furthermore, the free agent left-hander is close to finishing a new contract with the Yankees, according to Olney. The deal is expected to be worth a bit more than $10MM, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggests the deal will likely be for $10-11MM (Twitter link).

Pettitte, who is now represented by Excel Sports Management, pitched well in 12 regular season starts this past season before making two quality starts in the postseason. He posted a 2.87 ERA with 8.2 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 56.3% ground ball rate in 75 1/3 regular season innings in 2012, while earning $2.5MM.

If the Yankees complete a deal with Pettitte, their rotation will look considerably stronger than it did earlier in the month. They have also signed Hiroki Kuroda, who joins C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova in the team's rotation. David Phelps and even Michael Pineda could also contribute as starters.

Quick Hits: Keppinger, Soriano, Dodgers, Orioles

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The latest links from around MLB…

  • The Cubs, Diamondbacks and Rays are bidding for free agent infielder Jeff Keppinger even though he broke his leg, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). The 32-year-old recently broke his right fibula, but hopes to be ready for action by mid-January. Clubs don’t consider the injury serious enough to stop pursuing Keppinger.
  • MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons said on MLB Network’s Hot Stove show that Tigers owner Mike Ilitch spoke with agent Scott Boras about free agent closer Rafael Soriano yesterday (hat tip: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter).
  • The Dodgers confirmed the promotions of several front office members, including Logan White and De Jon Watson, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. White and Watson had been assistant GMs and are now vice presidents. They are both considered GM candidates within the industry.
  • The Orioles aren’t expected to offer Mark Reynolds arbitration, but they’re trying to work out a new deal by Friday’s deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes recently examined Reynolds as a non-tender candidate.
  • Jair Jurrjens is expected to be non-tendered and Peter Moylan’s status as a non-tender candidate remains unclear, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter).

Marlins Seek Power; Stanton Staying Put

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The Marlins are not entertaining trade offers for Giancarlo Stanton, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. In fact, Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest told Heyman he’d love to find a powerful bat to pair with Stanton in Miami’s lineup.

"We want someone to hit behind him, someone to offer more power," Beinfest told Heyman. "Giancarlo represents the power on our team."

Adding a power hitter appears to be the Marlins’ top priority. Stanton, the 23-year-old slugger who has surpassed the 30-homer mark in both of the past two seasons, won’t be traded. People with Marlins connections and rival executives agree he’ll return to Miami in 2013. But aside from Stanton, who’s still pre-arbitration eligible, there are lots of areas of need for the Marlins.

"It's not going to be easy," Beinfest acknowledged. "We're not going to put any expectations on it … the reality is, we haven't played good for a couple years."

I previewed Miami’s upcoming offseason last week.

Mets Offered David Wright Contract

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3:12pm: The Mets offered Wright $135-145MM over eight years, Rosenthal clarifies (Twitter links). That amount includes his $16MM salary for 2013. In other words, the Mets are offering $119-129MM in new money over a seven-year period, Rosenthal reports. It's important for Wright to surpass the $137.5MM obtained by Johan Santana, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports (on Twitter).

2:45pm: The seven-year offer is worth $135-140MM, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports.

2:25pm: The Mets are offering a seven-year deal worth between $125MM and $150MM, Rosenthal reports (on Twitter).

12:13pm: The Mets have made Wright multiple offers, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. One of the offers would add at least seven years to his existing contract with the Mets. "There are offers going back and forth," one person told Rubin. There's a chance the sides will complete a deal before the Winter Meetings. However, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears from a source who says it's "improbable" the sides will complete a deal this week (Twitter link).

10:19am: The Mets have made Wright a seven-year offer worth well in excess of $100MM, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports (on Twitter).

8:24am: The Mets offered David Wright a six-year, $100MM contract extension yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. Wright prefers a deal of at least seven years, and he is expected to decline New York’s offer, according to Rosenthal.

Read more

Phillies In Serious Talks For Wilton Lopez

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The Phillies are in serious talks about a possible trade for Astros reliever Wilton Lopez, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports. The Phillies could be on the verge of trading for the right-hander, according to Salisbury.

Lopez, arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason, projects to earn $1.4MM in 2013. The 29-year-old posted a 2.17 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 1.1 BB/9 and a 55% ground ball rate in 66 1/3 innings with the Astros in 2012. In three-plus MLB seasons, he has a 3.14 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 1.6 BB/9 and a 55.9% ground ball rate. He's under team control through 2015.

The Phillies have been looking to acquire a reliever who can provide steady late-inning production. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports notes that the Astros would be looking for prospects for Lopez in any trade (Twitter link).

This post was originally published on November 28th.

Astros Sign Crowe, Escalona

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We'll keep track of the latest minor moves here… 

  • The Astros announced that they signed outfielder Trevor Crowe and left-hander Sergio Escalona to minor league contracts that include invitations to MLB Spring Training. Houston also confirmed the signing of right-handers Edgar Gonzalez and Jose Valdez. Crowe, 29, played for the Indians from 2009-11. He spent the 2012 season in Cleveland's minor league system and posted a .281/.349/.397 batting line in 350 total plate appearances. Escalona, 28, posted a 2.93 ERA in 27 2/3 innings for the 2011 Astros, but hasn't pitched at the MLB level since.

Braves Talking To Chad Durbin

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The Braves are among the teams talking to free agent reliever Chad Durbin, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter). All Bases Covered Sports represents the 34-year-old right-hander.

Durbin appeared in 76 games for the Braves in 2012, pitching 61 innings. He posted a 3.10 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 and a 47.7% ground ball rate out of the Atlanta bullpen. In 13 seasons at the MLB level, Durbin has a 4.95 ERA with 6.2 K/9, 3.9 BB/9 and a 41.9% ground ball rate.

Red Sox Notes: Ross, Napoli, Lester, Bailey

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The Red Sox and Royals have had some discussions about a trade centered around Jon Lester and Wil Myers, and that's not the only trade possibility for Ben Cherington to consider in the week leading up to the Winter Meetings. Here are the details from Boston…

  • Friends of Cody Ross believe the Red Sox are in the lead for the outfielder, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). Ross seeks a three-year deal and hasn't had new talks with the Red Sox in the last few days.
  • Mike Napoli appears to be Boston's top free agent target, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports (on Twitter). In the words of Lauber's source, everyone else is "1A" behind Napoli.
  • The Red Sox haven't had discussions with Lester about a possible extension, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. The left-hander has one guaranteed year remaining on his contract with Boston. He'll earn $11.675MM in 2013 and his contract includes a $13MM option for 2014. Lester has said in the past that he'd be open to discussing an extension if the Red Sox are interested.
  • Rival teams say the Red Sox are open to dealing Andrew Bailey, Olney reports (on Twitter). However, the reliever’s trade value remains low, so it doesn’t appear likely that the Red Sox will move him. Olney reported last month that the Blue Jays considered acquiring Bailey for manager John Farrell.

Mets To Non-Tender Pelfrey, Acosta, Torres

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The Mets plan to non-tender Mike Pelfrey, Manny Acosta and Andres Torres this week, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. Barring an unexpected trade or change in plans, the Mets will decline to offer the players arbitration, and they'll become free agents.

The Mets remain open to re-signing Pelfrey for less than the $5.875MM he earned this past season. However, agent Scott Boras may look to place Pelfrey in a starting role as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and the Mets' rotation seems full.

All three players appeared on Tim Dierkes' list of non-tender candidates. Pelfrey projected to earn $5.7MM if tendered a contract; Torres projected to earn $3.2MM; Acosta projected to earn $1.1MM. Be sure to follow Friday's tender decisions using MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker.

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