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AL Central Notes: Kazmir, Sanchez, Tigers

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A rebuilt Indians club should add to the mix of what was a competitive AL Central Division race during the 2012 season. While the Royals and Twins aren't expected to be much of a factor in 2013, the Indians, Tigers and White Sox may find themselves fighting for a playoff spot well into September. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines from around the division.

  • Scott Kazmir told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com that he had a variety of offers to choose from but chose to sign with the Indians mostly due to the presence of manager Terry Francona (via Twitter). The 29-year-old lefty signed a minor league deal with Cleveland in December and will be given an opportunity to crack the squad's starting rotation.
  • The Twins remain uninterested in signing free agent Freddy Sanchez, who has been plagued by injuries the past two seasons, writes Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter). Sanchez, 35, last appeared in over 100 games during the 2010 season with the Giants where he posted a batting line of .292/.342/.397.
  • The Tigers remain in need of a right-hander off the bench and will look to find the right piece internally before exploring the free-agent market, says Jason Beck of MLB.com. According to GM Dave Dombrowski, Danny Worth and Jeff Kobernus will receive heavy consideration for the open spot on the roster.

Week In Review: 2/3/13 – 2/9/13

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As we gladly welcome pitchers and catchers reporting to camp in the coming days, let's take a look back at the week that was here at MLBTR…

Quick Hits: Indians, Mark Prior, Phillies, Mark Lerner

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On this day in 1971, Satchel Paige became the first Negro League player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The oldest player to make his Major League debut, Paige took the field for the Indians for the first time at the age of 42. Here's the latest news and stories making headlines across MLB.

  • After making a series of deals this offseason in hopes of making a strong push toward the playoffs, the Indians may not be done adding pieces to their roster just yet, writes Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. Kyle Lohse and Michael Bourn remain on the radar for Cleveland as the organization would only have to give up a third round draft pick in order to sign either player.
  • Mark Prior hasn't given up on his goal of returning to the Major Leagues as he's working on strengthening his shoulder in hopes of receiving an invitation to Spring Training, says David Kaplan of CSNChicago.com. Currently in the best shape of his life according to reports, Prior spent the 2012 season at Triple-A Pawtucket as a member of the Red Sox organization before being released in August. For more on Prior, Doug Miller of MLB.com takes an in-depth approach to telling the past and present story of the former sensation's life on both a professional and personal level.
  • The contracts for recently-signed members of the Phillies organization are broken down by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com as he provides the financial incentives players would receive based upon meeting specific goals. For example, Delmon Young would be awarded $100K if named NL MVP next season and $250K for reaching 600 plate appearances, among others. 
  • Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner told college students at a conference directed toward finding a career in sports that he often learns of deals made by his GM Mike Rizzo by visiting MLB Trade Rumors, writes James Wagner of The Washington Post. A special thanks to Mark for publicly recognizing the work done at MLBTR by Tim Dierkes and his staff.

Indians Sign Jason Giambi

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9:55pm: Giambi will receive a $750K salary plus incentives if he makes the Indians roster, says Hoynes (on Twitter).

9:37pm: The Indians have signed Giambi to a minor league contract, according to a team announcement. He will report to MLB Spring Training on Wednesday in Goodyear, Arizona, reports Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer (via Twitter).

8:44pm: The Indians are close to finalizing a minor league deal with former Rockies slugger Jason Giambi, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The contract will include an invitation to MLB Spring Training.

Giambi, 42, will look to compete for a spot on the bench as a left-handed designated hitter and offer depth at first base. The 2000 AL MVP posted a .225/.372/.303 batting line in 89 at-bats with the Rockies in 2012 as he served as a pinch hitter. 

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Rays, Jacoby Ellsbury

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The Yankees enter the 2013 season with a sense of uncertainty surrounding its aging roster in a division that could see all five teams make a run at the playoffs. New York does have a handful of minor league pitchers that may be of service to the squad in the near future including Mark Montgomery, a hard-throwing right-hander viewed as a potential successor to Mariano Rivera, according to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. 

  • A lack of continuity at the shortstop position has been an issue for the Red Sox ever since the team traded away Nomar Garciaparra during the summer of 2004, but that trend may be about to change, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal. Boston will count on Stephen Drew to start at shortstop for the 2013 season, but will look to eventually turn the job over to Jose Iglesias, Xander Bogaerts or Deven Marrero, its top prospects at the position.
  • The Rays will enter the 2013 season with a different look after the team made a series of trades and signings that impacted all aspects of the squad, says Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The moves allowed the Rays to keep their payroll in check as well as reload on young talent that will be able to help the team over the long haul. 
  • Jacoby Ellsbury's tenure with the Red Sox may come to an end next offseason as he is set to become a free agent along with the fact that Scott Boras is his agent, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “Ellsbury is a very talented player and we know what he can do on the field when he’s feeling good physically,” Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said. “We’re obviously a better team when he’s on the field and we’d love for him to be a Red Sox for a long time."

Poll: Which Team Had Most Disappointing Offseason?

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With the start of Spring Training mere days away, teams are close to having their rosters in place that they plan to take to either Florida or Arizona for the next month and a half. Clubs have spent the past few months bringing in new players through free agency and trade in hopes of putting together a squad worthy of playing meaningful baseball come October.

While many teams added a key pitcher or slugger to man the hot corner, others failed to replace departing players or make necessary upgrades around the diamond. Merely re-signing a player or two may not have been enough when teams like the Blue Jays and Dodgers made multiple additions to their respective rosters over the course of the winter. The question becomes which team has had the most disappointing offseason thus far.

Quick Hits: Johnson, Boras, Givens, Reds, Lowe

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The newest member of the Rays organization, Kelly Johnson, spoke with reporters on a conference call earlier today about his signing with Tampa Bay. The veteran second baseman/outfielder said he respected the Rays way of playing baseball under manager Joe Maddon, which made joining the franchise an easy decision. "I wasn't surprised they were interested. I knew if I wanted to go to Tampa I had to be willing to move around. They called and I was happy hear from them."

Here is what's happening around the league…

  • Scott Boras denied his involvement with the planting of a rumor about his client Jose Valverde and an imminent deal with the Marlins, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. 
  • Mychal Givens will no longer play shortstop in the minors for the Orioles, but rather try his hand at pitching, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. 
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty has yet to hear any updates from Scott Rolen while he remains at a stalemate with his four remaining arbitration-eligible players, says Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
  • Francisco Liriano's deal with the Pirates remains on track to become official, but will not do so until his non-throwing arm heals so the veteran can take a physical, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
  • Derek Lowe will wait to see what other offers come his way after passing on a minor league deal from the Rockies, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). 

AL West Notes: Bud Norris, Jon Daniels, Rangers

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Astros GM Jeff Luhnow remains confident the organization has taken the right steps to field a competitive team in the near future even with payroll that may fall short of $25MM, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "I think people are focusing on what the Major League payroll is, and I think the reality is we're making a huge investment in our people," Luhnow said. "We're not going to do something to improve a few games in 2013 that comes at the expense of our ability to compete over the long haul."

Let's take a look around the AL West to catch up on the latest news and headlines. 

  • The Astros may move another key player before the start of Spring Training as Bud Norris has been drawing attention and is available for the right package, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. The 27-year-old right-hander is set to earn $3MM during the 2013 season, making him the highest paid player on the Astros roster. 
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels spoke with reporters for 40 minutes on Tuesday as he addressed the burning question of whether he did enough this offseason to keep Texas competitive in 2013, writes Anthony Andro of FOXSportsSouthwest.com. "What I'm excited about with this club is all the things we've talked about for years, we like the core of this team, recommitting ourselves to pitching, to the athletes, to giving our young guys a chance, to finding the right guys to fit the club, to finding the right veteran presence."
  • Jurickson Profar and Mike Olt will be given every opportunity to make the big league club out of Spring Training for the Rangers, but look for Leury Garcia to compete for a spot as well, says Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News. Garcia, 21, has spent the majority of his career as a middle infielder but recently gained experience playing outfield in the Dominican Republic Winter League. 

Cubs Outright Lendy Castillo To Triple-A

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The Cubs outrighted reliever Lendy Castillo to Triple-A after designating the right-hander for assignment late last month, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Castillo, 23, was selected by the Cubs from the Phillies in the 2011 Rule 5 Draft. 

The 2012 season marked Castillo's Major League debut as he made 13 appearances for Chicago over the course of the year. Castillo posted a 7.88 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 6.8 BB/9 after putting up promising numbers at the minor league level. 

Week In Review: 1/27/13 – 2/2/13

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Let's catch up on the week that was here at MLBTR…

  • The Diamondbacks agreed to a four-year contract through 2016 with infielder/outfielder Martin Prado. The deal will pay Prado $40MM in total.
  • The Mets signed outfielder Marlon Byrd to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training.
  • The Reds signed left-hander Manny Parra to a one-year contract. The club designated right-hander Todd Redmond for assignment in a corresponding move.
  • The Yankees signed Travis Hafner to a one-year, Major League contract. The deal is worth $2MM plus up to $4MM in incentives.
  • The White Sox claimed first baseman Lars Anderson off of waivers from the Diamondbacks.
  • The Reds signed catcher Miguel Olivo to a minor league contract with an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
  • The Red Sox signed Lyle Overbay to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
  • The Indians signed Matt Capps to a minor league deal with an invitation to MLB Spring Training. 
  • The Mets signed LaTroy Hawkins to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training.
  • The Marlins claimed right-hander Sam Dyson off of waivers from the Blue Jays. Miami designated center fielder Kevin Mattison for assignment in a related move.
  • The Mariners agreed to sign free agent catcher Kelly Shoppach to a one-year deal that will pay him $1.5MM in base salary with an extra $500K available in incentives.
  • The Phillies designated right-hander J.C. Ramirez for assignment. The move creates roster space for right-hander Chad Durbin, whose one-year deal with the Phillies is now official.
  • The Brewers signed free agent shortstop Alex Gonzalez to a one-year, Major League contract. Gonzalez will obtain a $1.5MM guarantee and could earn an additional $1MM in incentives.
  • The Mets signed right-hander Scott Atchison to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training.
  • The Padres agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Freddy Garcia. 
  • The Yankees agreed to sign Juan Rivera to a minor league deal.
  • The Cardinals agreed to sign Ronny Cedeno to a one-year, Major League contract worth $1.15MM and includes $850K in performance bonuses.
  • The Padres avoided arbitration with reliever Luke Gregerson by agreeing to a one-year, $3.2MM contract for 2013.
  • The Phillies signed infielder Yuniesky Betancourt to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training.
  • The Rays agreed to sign second baseman Kelly Johnson to a one-year deal.

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