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Minor Moves: Evans, Pie, Carson, Hunter

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

  • Nick Evans has signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. A broken hand limited the soon-to-be 27-year-old to just 21 games in the Pirates' minor league system last season. Evans has a career .256/.305/.407 batting line in 159 games with the Mets.
  • The Pirates signed Felix Pie to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter). Pie, 27, spent the 2012 season with the Braves' top affiliate and hit .285/.338/.459 in 365 plate appearances.
  • The Indians announced that they signed outfielders Matt Carson and Cedric Hunter to minor league contracts that include invitations to MLB Spring Training. Carson, 31, appeared in 26 games with the Twins this past season, posting a .227/.246/.242 batting line in 69 plate appearances and playing both corner outfield positions. Hunter, 24, spent the 2012 season with the Cardinals' top affiliate, posting a .268/.355/.375 batting line in 412 plate appearances at Triple-A.
  • The Blue Jays signed right-hander Bobby Korecky to a minor league contract, according to the transactions page at CBSSports.com. The 33-year-old pitched in one game for the Blue Jays in 2012, then lost his 40-man roster spot early in October. Korecky spent most of this past season pitching in relief for Toronto's Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.44 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 86 1/3 innings with Las Vegas.

Blue Jays Sign Melky Cabrera

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The Blue Jays have officially announced the signing of Melky Cabrera to a two-year, $16MM contract. Cabrera is represented by the ACES agency.

Melky Cabrera - Giants (PW)

Cabrera served a season-ending 50 game suspension under the Joint Drug Program this past season. The 28-year-old was suspended for having elevated levels of testosterone, a performance-enhancing substance.

“My positive test was the result of my use of a substance I should not have used," Cabrera said at the time. "I am deeply sorry for my mistake and I apologize to my teammates, to the San Francisco Giants organization and to the fans for letting them down.”

Before his suspension, Cabrera was enjoying the best season of his career. He posted a .346/.390/.516 batting line with 11 home runs, 25 doubles and 10 triples in 501 plate appearances with the Giants. Cabrera played both corner outfield positions in 2012, generating approximately 4.6 wins above replacement according to the versions of the metric available at FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.

Toronto's agreement with Cabrera pushes Anthony Gose, Moises Sierra and Rajai Davis down on the team's depth chart. The deal would be the most lucrative free agent contract since Alex Anthopoulos became the club's GM, surpassing the recent three-year, $10MM agreement with Maicer Izturis. Of course, the Blue Jays added significant payroll with a blockbuster trade earlier in the week, adding Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle.

Cabrera ranked 18th on MLBTR's list of the offseason's top free agents. His deal resembles the contracts signed by free agent outfielders Jason Kubel ($15MM for two years) and Coco Crisp ($14MM for two years) last offseason.

Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com was the first to report the agreement and the terms of the contract.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

 

Mutual Interest For Yankees, Ibanez

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Postseason hero Raul Ibanez would like to re-sign with the Yankees this offseason and the interest is mutual, Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports. The Yankees have “significant interest” in the 40-year-old, according to Davidoff. The club has asked Ibanez to wait while they focus on pitching, and that hasn’t diminished his interest in returning to the Bronx.

“If I get an opportunity to play for the Yankees again,” he told Davidoff, “it would be fantastic.”

Ibanez provided power throughout the regular season, hitting 19 home runs and posting a .240/.308/.453 batting line as a designated hitter and corner outfielder. The 40-year-old had a remarkable postseason, hitting two memorable home runs in the ALDS and another in the ALCS. He shouldn't face left-handed pitching at this stage in his career, and manager Joe Girardi acknowledged as much by using Ibanez against right-handers for 85% of his 425 plate appearances.

Padres, Blanks Avoid Arbitration

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The Padres avoided arbitration with Kyle Blanks, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). The Sosnick/Cobbe client will earn $605K in 2013.

Blanks, 26, appeared in just four games this past season, undergoing season-ending labrum surgery in April. The right-handed hitter has a career batting line of .219/.316/.421 with 20 home runs in 488 career plate appearances. Matt Swartz's projections for MLBTR had Blanks at $600K, so the agreed upon salary doesn't come as a surprise.

Indians Open To Trading Cabrera, Choo

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The Indians have made other teams aware of their willingness to trade shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Cleveland seeks front-line pitching in return for Cabrera and Choo, according to Knobler.

The Indians could retain Choo and Cabrera if no team meets their asking price, but they’re aware that it’ll be difficult to unseat the Tigers atop the AL Central in 2013. Cabrera, 27, posted a .270/.338/.423 batting line with 16 home runs in 2012. He'll earn $6.5MM in 2013 and $10MM in 2014 before hitting free agency two years from now. The Diamondbacks and Red Sox appear to have some interest in trading for Cabrera.

Choo, 30, will be arbitration eligible this offseason and he'll hit free agency a year from now. He projects to earn approximately $7.9MM in 2013 after posting a .283/.373/.441 batting line in 686 plate appearances this past season. The Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers and Mariners are among the teams that could consider trading for outfielders this winter.

Blue Jays Designate Joel Carreno For Assignment

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The Blue Jays announced that they designated right-hander Joel Carreno for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for the players acquired in the club’s recently approved 12-player deal with Miami.

Carreno, 25, appeared in 11 games for Toronto this past season. He posted a 6.14 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9 in 22 innings at the MLB level. In seven seasons as a minor leaguer, Carreno has a 3.48 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.

Blue Jays, Marlins Complete Blockbuster Trade

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Commissioner Bud Selig has approved the blockbuster trade that the Blue Jays and Marlins agreed to last week.  The Blue Jays announced the 12-player trade, which sends Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, John Buck, Emilio Bonifacio and cash considerations to Toronto for Yunel Escobar, Adeiny Hechavarria, Henderson Alvarez, Jeff Mathis, Justin Nicolino, Anthony Desclafani and Jake Marisnick.

The deal, which calls for the Marlins to send the Blue Jays $4MM, required the approval of the commissioner's office.  The Blue Jays are taking on tens of millions in future payroll obligations, while the Marlins are moving the contracts of Reyes and Buehrle less than one full year after signing them as free agents.

Ultimately the deal "represents the exercise of plausible baseball judgment on the part of both clubs," Selig said in a statement approving the trade.

Reyes, 29, hit .287/.347/.433 with eleven home runs in 716 plate appearances last season.  The batting line wasn't quite as impressive as the .337/.384/.493 he put up in his contract year with New York, but it was promising to see the shortstop appear in 160 games after missing 191 games across the previous three seasons.  Despite the club's disappointing performance last season, Reyes said over the summer that he didn't have any regrets about signing with Miami.  

Buehrle's deal, like Reyes', is heavily backloaded with the hurler set to earn $11MM in 2013, $18MM in 2014, and $19MM in 2015 after making just $6MM in 2012.  The contract also includes a $4MM signing bonus that's deferred without interest.  While considering a number of offers, Buehrle was said to be prioritizing a no-trade clause, something he didn't end up receiving from the Marlins.  The veteran had a 3.74 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in 31 starts for Miami last season.  

Bonifacio played just 64 games in an injury-riddled 2011 campaign.  The 27-year-old can fill a number of different roles, having experience at all three outfield positions, second base, shortstop, and third base.  Buck, 32, earned his first All-Star selection in 2010 as a member of the Blue Jays.  His offensive production regressed in the two years since, posting a .213/.308/.358 batting line for the Marlins.

While the Marlins gave up a substantial amount of talent in the trade, they won't be coming away empty handed.  Hechavarria was a highly-regarded prospect in the Blue Jays' organization and his play reportedly had Toronto executives ready to part with Escobar in the right trade.  Of course, this megadeal sends both shortstops out of town.

Escobar struggled at the plate last season, hitting .253/.300/.344 with nine homers in 608 plate appearances.  The infielder does come with a team-friendly contract, however, as he'll earn $5MM in 2013 with team options for the same amount in '14 and '15.  For his career, the 30-year-old has a .282/.353/.390 batting line in six seasons with the Braves and Blue Jays.  Mathis, 29, came to the Blue Jays last season in a trade for Brad Mills that helped ease the Angels' catching glut.  The veteran will earn $3MM across the next two seasons with a club option for 2015 worth $1.5MM.

The Marlins also picked up a quartet of quality youngsters in the trade.  Alvarez, 22, made 31 starts for the Blue Jays last season with a 4.85 ERA and 3.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.  Nicolino, taken in the second-round of the 2010 draft, has received high praise for his aggressive pitching and willingness to pound the strike zone.  The Florida native cruised through Single-A ball last year, posting a 2.46 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9.

Marisnick, 21, was rated as the No. 67 prospect in the country and the No. 3 prospect in the Blue Jays' organization after the 2011 season by Baseball America.  The publication also considered the former third-round pick to have the best defensive skillset and arm of any outfielder in the Toronto farm system.  DeSclafani, taken in the sixth-round of the 2011 draft, posted a 3.37 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 in his debut season for Single-A Lansing.

MLBTR's Zach Links contributed to this post.

Josh Hamilton Rumors: Monday

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The Rangers, Brewers, Phillies, Orioles, Braves and Red Sox are among the teams that appear to have at least some interest in Josh Hamilton, the top position player available in free agency this year. The Mariners are also eyeing Hamilton, though GM Jack Zduriencik downplayed the chances of such a large scale deal. Here’s the latest on Hamilton…

  • The Phillies appear to have Hamilton as a fallback option in case they don’t sign B.J. Upton or Michael Bourn, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. One Orioles person has suggested to Heyman that Hamilton would be a good fit in Baltimore, but another person downplayed Baltimore’s interest. While the Brewers and Mariners have some interest, it would be challenging for those clubs to afford Hamilton. Heyman suggests the market for Hamilton could remain murky for a while and become a “bona fide mystery market.”

CAA Represents Howard; Excel Adds Guthrie, Matusz

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CAA Sports is the lone agency representing Ryan Howard, Liz Mullen of the Sports Business Journal reports (Twitter links). The Phillies first baseman had previously been co-represented by CAA Sports and Excel Sports Management.

“I believe that CAA Sports is best positioned to help me achieve my goals both on and off the field,” Howard said in an official statement.

Meanwhile, Excel Sports Management has added two pitchers who were former clients of CAA. MLB agents Casey Close and David O'Hagan added free agent right-hander Jeremy Guthrie and Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz to their list of clients at Excel, Mullen reports.

Be sure to check MLBTR’s Agency Database for up to date information about players and their agents.

Mets Notes: Dickey, Wright

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The Mets continue negotiating a potential contract extension with R.A. Dickey, but there's also a chance the team will trade him. Dickey, the 2012 NL Cy Young winner, has considerable trade value even if there are questions about how long he can continue pitching at an elite level. Here are today’s Mets-related links…

  • The Mets would want a “monster package” if they trade Dickey, an MLB executive tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. The Mets are letting other teams come to them with offers and probably would not trade Dickey unless they get a substantial return for him. In other words, don’t expect a trade unless someone offers the Mets a few highly regarded prospects or MLB players. However, two executives told Martino that they doubt teams will offer a “monster package” for the 38-year-old.
  • Mets executives Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi are fielding most trade inquiries related to Dickey and John Ricco has been leading contract talks with the knuckleballer and his agent.
  • The Mets must invest significantly in their team, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. That doesn't mean they have to extend Dickey and David Wright at any cost, but doubts about ownership's commitment will linger until the club starts spending again.

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