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Braves Not Shopping David Ross

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The Braves have denied that they are shopping backup catcher David Ross. Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com tweets that Bobby Cox says there's no way the Braves would be trying to trade Ross, and in a tweet from David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, GM Frank Wren concurs: "That [rumor] made no sense whatsoever."

We heard yesterday that the the Braves may be looking to swap Ross in a deal for "a younger backup-catcher type."

Wren says (O'Brien Twitter link) that the depth of the Braves' bench is an aspect of the team they like most. Trading Ross would compromise the quality of their bench. The 33-year-old hit .273/.380/.508 with seven homers in 151 plate appearances for Atlanta last year, serving as Brian McCann's backup.

Cafardo’s Latest: Fielder, Pedro, Gagne, Santos

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In his latest column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe ranks baseball's managers, from first (Bobby Cox) to 30th (rookie skipper Brad Mills). He also shares a few hot stove notes:

  • Contracts like the eight-year pacts signed by Mark Teixeira and Joe Mauer may indicate what it'll take for the Brewers to lock up Prince Fielder long-term. Milwaukee "would like to seal the deal right now," avoiding the drama that will only increase as Fielder approaches free agency.
  • Cafardo wonders if Pedro Martinez could end up pitching for the Dodgers at some point this season.
  • Alex Gonzalez said "forget it" this winter when the Red Sox asked him to wait until they had dealt with Jason Bay. Gonzalez adds: "I was going to get a starting job, and in this market, I'm glad I didn't wait."
  • Eric Gagne believes he can still succeed at the big league level, but he may have trouble catching on anywhere this late in the spring.
  • Sergio Santos would have plenty of teams interested in him if he doesn't break camp with the White Sox. Santos, a former first-round pick as a shortstop, is out of options and competing for a spot in Chicago's bullpen.

Odds & Ends: Braun, Reds, Marlins, Washburn

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Tigers Shopping Nate Robertson

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The Detroit Tigers are looking for a suitor for Nate Robertson, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi tweets that three different sources have told him the Tigers are shopping the left-hander.

Robertson is entering the last year of a three-year $21.25MM contract, and will earn $10MM this season. While the 32-year-old has struggled over the last few seasons, he posted a 3.84 ERA over 208.2 IP in 2006. It's possible that there are teams out there willing to roll the dice that Robertson could regain that form, but as Morosi suggests, the Tigers would have to take on a significant chunk of his 2010 salary.

In a second tweet, Morosi adds that the Tigers' willingness to move Robertson could be a good sign for Dontrelle Willis' big league prospects.

What Would A Matt Cain Extension Cost?

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Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle speculated today, via Twitter, that an extension for Matt Cain might be in the works. Considering that the Giants have yet to officially announce extensions for Jeremy Affeldt and Brian Wilson, Schulman wonders (Twitter link) if a deal for Cain could come "sooner rather than later."

While we wait to see if there's any merit to this speculation, let's examine a pair of comparable contract extensions: Felix Hernandez's $78MM deal with Seattle and Justin Verlander's $80MM pact with the Tigers. Both pitchers, like Cain, were poised to hit free agency after the 2011 season, before their teams locked them up.

Cain's career resume to date is impressive, matching up reasonably well with the Mariners' and Tigers' aces. He has been durable, making at least 31 starts in each of the last four seasons, and his career 1.25 WHIP bests both Felix's (1.27) and Verlander's (1.28). Still, Cain has yet to post a truly elite season like the 2009 campaigns that earned Hernandez and Verlander Cy Young and MVP votes.

The Tigers will pay Verlander $20MM annually in what would have been his first three free agent years, while the Mariners will pay Hernandez $19.3MM per year over the same period. If the Giants were to sign Cain long-term, you'd have to think it could cost them up to $15MM annually for those free agency seasons.

The 25-year-old Cain has a $6.25MM club option for 2011 (his final arbitration season) that should vest if he stays healthy. If the Giants were to extend the right-hander today, they would likely re-do that year, perhaps guaranteeing him $7MM or so. All told, San Francisco could be looking at a price tag in excess of $50MM to retain their #2 starter from 2011 through 2014.

Brian Wilson Agrees To Extension With Giants

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The San Francisco Giants agreed to sign closer Brian Wilson to a $15MM deal that buys out two arbitration years. Wilson will earn $6.5MM in 2011 and $8.5MM in 2012 under his new extension. The deal does not affect the one-year $4.4MM Wilson and the Giants agreed to for 2010.

CSNBayArea.com first reported the agreement and Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News added the contract details. 

Wilson goes to arbitration four times as a Super Two player, so he'll be under team control for one season after the extension expires and projects to hit free agency after 2013. The deal gives the Giants cost-certainty, but they're not saving themselves money; no free agent reliever obtained a guarantee of more than $15MM this offseason.

Marlins Return Jorge Jimenez To Red Sox

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MONDAY, 5:39pm: Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweets that the two sides discussed several names in a trade that would have allowed the Marlins to keep Jimenez, and that it's possible they'll revisit a deal later.

SUNDAY, 9:15am: Rule 5 pick Jorge Jimenez has been returned to the Boston Red Sox by the Florida Marlins, tweets Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro notes that Boston will return $25K to the Marlins, half of the $50K the Sox received for Jimenez.

Jimenez was acquired from the Astros, as part of the Matt Lindstrom trade. The Astros selected Jimenez from Boston's roster in the Rule 5 draft and sent him to Florida.

The 25-year-old Jimenez is a career .298/.377/.423 hitter in the minors, and had been hoping to earn the starting job third base job in Florida. With Jimenez now out of the picture, it appears likely that Jorge Cantu will start at third for the Marlins, with Gaby Sanchez the favorite to win the first base job.

Twins, Mauer Agree To Eight-Year $184MM Deal

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Joe Mauer isn't going anywhere. After months of anticipation, the Twins reached an agreement with Mauer on an eight-year, $184MM extension today. The contract will keep the soon-to-be 27-year-old in Minnesota from 2011 to 2018.

The agreement was first reported by Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) and the Twins disclosed the contract's terms, including its full no-trade clause, via press release. Rosenthal (via Twitter) and ESPN.com's Buster Olney suggested earlier in the day that the sides were nearing a deal.

The deal, which covers Mauer's first eight free agent seasons, averages out to $23MM per year. That's the fourth largest deal in MLB history, topped only by Alex Rodriguez's $275MM contract with the Yankees, Rodriguez's $252MM contract with Texas, and Derek Jeter's $189MM deal.

The Minnesota native outdid himself in 2009, posting .365/.444/.587 with 28 homers in 606 plate appearances en route to his third batting title in four seasons and the AL MVP Award. The Twins and Mauer will make it all official at a press conference tomorrow evening.

It's the news many Twins fans have been waiting for all offseason, but it comes on the same day that Joe Nathan decided to undergo Tommy John surgery. The closer will miss the season, but Twins fans have one less player to worry about, now that the Yankees and Red Sox are not going to have the chance to bid on their star catcher.

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Brewers, Willis, Guardado

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