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Front-Office Notes: Mets, Indians, Jays, Padres

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While arbitration cases continue to be settled and the final handful of straggling free agents negotiate with potential suitors, here's some notes from a few front offices around the Majors on Thursday …

  • Mets owner Fred Wilpon said that he'd like to see former GM Omar Minaya return to the team in an advisory role, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Minaya, of course, was replaced by Sandy Alderson following the 2010 season but remains under contract with the Mets and is owed approximately $1.1MM annually through 2012. Wilpon said Minaya is a good person and would be a welcome re-addition to the organization, but he understands that Minaya has needed time to evaluate his options. Begley speculates that Minaya could return in a talent-evaluation capacity, perhaps internationally.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti said that he expects to land another player or two this offseason, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Bastian notes that the Tribe could still use a third baseman and starting pitcher, in particular. Antonetti is in his first year as Indians GM.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said that Toronto is likely done making any major moves this offseason, but minor ones remain possible, according to Shi Davidi of the Candian Press (twitter links). Of course, Anthopoulos added the caveat that this could change with one phone call.
  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer, similar to Anthopoulos, said he has a pretty good idea of what his club is going to look like this season, barring any unforeseen injuries, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com. Hoyer is happy with the Padres' offseason in the wake of the momentous Adrian Gonzalez swap, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and said that the organization targeted free agents who were coming off down seasons in 2010 in the hopes that they might rebound with the Friars in 2011.

Quick Hits: Law’s Top 100, Mahar, Sisk

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While the Angels have picked up a reputation for adding pricey outfielders in recent years, they have a highly touted, cheap one on the farm in Mike Trout. Here's more on him and some other items of note …

  • Trout is ranked No. 1 on ESPN analyst Keith Law's list of Top 100 prospects of 2011, released Thursday. Leading the charge with regard to top-25 prospects are the Royals and Rays, with three apiece. Be sure to keep the names on this list in mind, as some of them will surely come up in trade talks this season and into next offseason. In fact, two of the top 25 have already been dealt: The Blue Jays' Kyle Drabek (formerly of the Phillies) and the Padres' Casey Kelly (formerly of the Red Sox).
  • The Orioles are one team that has shown interest in minor league free agent Kevin Mahar pending the resolution of the Vladimir Guerrero situation, MLBTR has learned.  Teams are considering Mahar as an outfielder/first baseman at the Triple-A level, after the 29-year-old hit .261/.342/.423 for the Phillies' Double-A affiliate.
  • The Orioles will be in attendance when free-agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer throws a bullpen session in Arizona on Friday, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. However, that is not to overstate Baltimore's interest, Kubatko notes, because scouting a pitcher's bullpen session is fairly common, and teams can only glean so much from it.
  • The Royals announced left-hander Brandon Sisk as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training, and the Brewers did the same of infielder Erick Almonte, according to press releases from each club.
  • Angels owner Arte Moreno said that the addition of Vernon Wells' salary will not preclude the team from engaging in contract-extension talks with young stars Jered Weaver and Kendry Morales, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. The Halos have already begun those talks with Weaver.

Mariners Retaining Milton Bradley

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The Mariners plan to keep Milton Bradley and have him compete for a starting job in Spring Training, writes Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.

Bradley was arrested earlier this month after allegedly threatening a woman in southern California — the latest in a long line of off-field troubles — leading some to wonder whether the M's would cut bait with the embattled outfielder/DH.

Bradley is entering the final year of a three-year contract he originally signed with the Cubs prior to the 2009 season. He was dealt to Seattle before last season.

As for whether the outcome of Bradley's court date could change the Mariners' decision to keep him, GM Jack Zduriencik declined comment, Stone writes.

Bradley, 33, played in just 73 games in 2010.

Orioles Sign Nick Bierbrodt

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The Orioles have signed left-handed pitcher Nick Bierbrodt to a minor-league deal, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Bierbrodt, a former first-round pick, is something of a blast from the past, at least on the Major League scene. He spent all of 2010 in the Rockies' organization, according to Rosenthal, and last appeared in the bigs with the Rangers in 2004.

For his career, Bierbrodt has a 6.66 ERA in 144 2/3 innings, with 7.0 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9.

There is a connection here, as Rosenthal notes, as O's skipper Buck Showalter is familiar with Bierbrodt from his days as Arizona's manager. The Diamondbacks drafted Bierbrodt in 1996.

Reds, Cueto Sign Four-Year Extension

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The Reds and right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto signed a four-year contract extension with a club option for 2015, the team announced (on Twitter). The deal is worth $27MM, tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com.

Cueto was arbitration-eligible, and he and the Reds were about $900,000 apart on their submitted salary figures, per our Arbitration Tracker. The right-hander was seeking $3.9MM, while Cincinnati offered $3MM.

The deal buys out all three years of Cueto's arbitration eligibility, plus one year of potential free agency. Rumors of the Reds and Cueto having preliminary talks about a long-term extension surfaced in early December but were relatively quiet thereafter, as Cincinnati turned its focus on extending Jay Bruce and buying out Joey Votto's three years or arbitration-eligibility.

It's been a busy and expensive offseason after a resurgent 2010 for the Reds, who've committed a combined $151MM in salaries — the majority of which went to Votto, Bruce and Cueto — tweets Fay. Edinson Volquez remains unsigned after he and the Reds exchanged arbitration figures.

The 24-year-old Cueto posted a 3.64 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 185 2/3 innings last year. He has started at least 30 games for three consecutive seasons and has career marks of 7.3 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 4.27 ERA.

Orioles Notes: Duchscherer, Vlad, Invitees

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As the Orioles' roster rounds into shape heading into Spring Training, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun has a few items of note …

  • The Orioles still have interest in free-agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer, although the O's were not one of the two teams for which the right-hander recently worked out, as reported by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Duchscherer will likely hold another open workout for any interested teams to check him out in the next week or so, Zrebiec notes, and he thinks the O's will be there. Duchscherer's son lives in New Jersey, which is relatively close to Baltimore, and the righty is looking to join a team he can start for, which the Orioles can offer.
  • The Orioles have not been aggressively pursuing free-agent slugger Vladimir Guerrero, contrary to a report by ESPNDeportes.com earlier on Thursday. If Guerrero's market shrinks enough, the O's may be interested, Zrebiec writes, but otherwise they plan on moving forward with Luke Scott as their designated hitter, and Nolan Reimold and Felix Pie platooning in left field.
  • The Orioles have not officially announced their list of non-roster invitees to Spring Training, but Zrebiec reports the following players will be among them: Armando Gabino, Raul Rivero, Josh Rupe, Adam Donachie, Michel Hernandez, Caleb Joseph, Ryan Adams, Brendan Harris and Tyler Henson.

Mets Designate Stoner, Pridie For Assignment

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The Mets designated pitcher Tobi Stoner and utility outfielder Jason Pridie for assignment, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

Stoner and Pridie were 40-man-roster casualties following the Mets' recent signings of Chris Young, Scott Hairston and Willie Harris, writes Rubin. Harris, signed to a minor-league deal, is a stronger candidate than Stoner and Pridie to perhaps claim a roster spot from the out-of-favor Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo.

Stoner appeared in just five games for the Mets over the past two seasons, spending most of his time in the minors. Similarly, Pridie appeared in 11 games for the Twins in 2008-09 and spent all of 2010 in the Mets' farm system.

Royals Designate Hughes For Assignment

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The Royals designated left-handed pitcher Dusty Hughes for assignment, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.

The move was made to make space on the 40-man roster for the recently acquired Jeff Francis. In a related transaction, Bruce Chen was officially added to the 40-man roster after his signing in the wake of Gil Meche's retirement, writes Dick Kaegel of MLB.com.

Hughes, 28, appeared in 65 games with the Royals over the past two seasons, 57 of them in 2010 (all in relief). For his career, he has a 6.3 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and a 4.09 ERA.

Quick Hits: Giambi, Young, Hairston, Wakefield

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While a couple more arbitration hearings were averted Thursday, here's a few tidbits of note:

  • The Rockies have a uniquely structured minor-league deal with Jason Giambi, blogs Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Giambi will earn a salary of $850,000 this season or a $250,000 buyout if he's cut during Spring Training (which is unlikely, according to Renck). There's also a mutual option for 2012 worth $1MM with a $150,000 buyout. Finally, Giambi can request that he be released on two separate dates (March 31 and June 1) if he's not on the 25-man roster at those times.
  • The Mets' incentive-laden, one-year deal with Chris Young is structured such that the right-hander will earn bonuses for a variety of benchmarks, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. On top of his $1.5MM base salary, Young can earn as much as $1,525,000 for starts Nos. 10-31 and $1,875,000 for innings 70-180.
  • The Mets' one-year pact with Scott Hairston is a Major League deal, contrary to some earlier reports, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and is worth $1.1MM in base salary and $400,000 in incentives.
  • Tim Wakefield, the Red Sox's 44-year-old knuckleballer, says he hasn't ruled out the possibility of pitching beyond 2011, writes Ian Browne of MLB.com. Wakefield, entering his 16th season with Boston, is in the final year of a two-year deal he signed prior to the 2010 campaign. It's far too soon to guess whether Wakefield would pitch for another team or if one would be interested in him after 2011, but because the knuckleball is relatively easy on the arm, it stands to reason someone might take a flier on him to eat innings in a swing role.

Mariners Sign Jody Gerut, Nate Robertson

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The Mariners have signed outfielder Jody Gerut and left-handed pitcher Nate Robertson to minor-league deals and invited them to Spring Training, according to the team's official Twitter feed.

Gerut was a touted prospect coming out of Stanford and has enjoyed intermittent but fleeting periods of success in the Majors, chiefly as a rookie with the Indians in 2003 (.279/.336/.494) and with the Padres in 2008 (.296/.351/.494).

Robertson was a key cog during the Tigers' run to the World Series in 2006 but has not been able to capture that form since then. After spending parts of seven seasons with Detroit, he pitched primarily for the Marlins in 2010 but was released in July and made a two-outing cameo with the Phillies in September. For his career, he has 6.1 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 5.01 ERA.

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