Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Minor Moves: Jim Miller, Jeff Fiorentino

By Mike Axisa | November 19, 2011 at 1:58pm CDT

We'll keep track of today's minor moves here, with the latest up top…

The Athletics have signed Jim Miller to a minor league contract, reports Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle. The 29-year-old righty reliever was outrighted by the Rockies last month after pitching to a 5.25 ERA in 72 innings at Triple-A. He appeared in six games for Colorado as well.
Within the same link, Slusser reports that the Athletics have also signed outfielder Jeff Fiorentino to a minor league pact. Fiorentino, 28, spent last season in the Orioles' and Braves' minor league systems, hitting .255/.350/.405 in 360 plate appearances. He played in Japan in 2010, and got into two games for the 2008 Athletics.

Ryan Doumit Expects To Make Decision Today

By Mike Axisa | November 18, 2011 at 11:57am CDT

Free agent catcher Ryan Doumit is expected to make a decision about his next team today, and he's down to two AL clubs according to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). Doumit turned down a one-year, $3MM offer from the Dodgers earlier this month.

The Twins and Dodgers are among the teams that have shown interest in Doumit so far this offseason. The versatile 30-year-old seeks a one-year deal after posting a .303/.353/.477 line in 236 plate appearances for the Pirates in 2011. He can catch and play right field or first base.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Reyes, Kemp, Realignment

By Mike Axisa | November 18, 2011 at 10:17am CDT

Nine years ago today, the Marlins, Rockies, and Braves swung a three-team, eight-player trade. Colorado send Mike Hampton and Juan Pierre to Florida in exchange for Charles Johnson, Preston Wilson, Vic Darensbourg, and Pablo Ozuna. The Marlins then flipped Hampton to Atlanta for Tim Spooneybarger and Ryan Baker. The $103.5MM left on Hampton's contract was spread out between the three clubs, with the Rockies paying $30MM, the Marlins paying $38MM, and the Braves paying $35.5MM. Colorado saved $26.3MM with the deal, and Florida saved $9.2MM.

We've got a large collection of links this week following the GM meetings. Here's the latest from around the web…

Rising Apple explained two ways the Mets could keep Jose Reyes: a contract with lots of incentives, or a back-loaded deal.
Marlins Maniac tells us why signing Reyes makes sense for the Marlins.
Monkey With A Halo says things are complicated between the Angels and C.J. Wilson.
Harness The Halo thinks the Angels signing Wilson would close the gap in the AL West.
Call To The Pen says Matt Kemp's extension gives the Dodgers hope going forward.
MLB Reports explains why the Phillies chose Jonathan Papelbon over Ryan Madson.
Brotherly Glove mused about Ruben Amaro Jr.'s patience, or lack thereof.
Infield Chatter calls free agency an "expensive way to hurt your team."
Bay City Ball says the market for middle infielders has gotten insane.
BoSox Injection wonders if the Red Sox have an image problem.
Red Sox Post lists some DH options for the Red Sox in case David Ortiz leaves.
Kings of Kauffman says the Royals should sign both Roy Oswalt and Mark Buehrle.
Nolan Writin' doesn't see a fit between the Rangers and Grady Sizemore.
South Side Showdown thinks Jason Kubel might be a good fit for the White Sox.
DRays Bay imagines a Rays lineup with Joey Votto.
Baltimore Sports & Life asked six writers if the O's should trade or extend Adam Jones.
Lookout Landing wrote about Chone Figgins' awkward situation.
Pro Ball NW thinks it may be time for the Mariners to trade Brandon League.
Through The Fence Baseball says the Padres should trade for Carlos Quentin.
Motor City Bengals believes the Tigers need a long-term answer at second base.
The Eye In The Skydome doesn't like the Aaron Hill deal for the Diamondbacks.
Puckett's Pond wrote about Jamey Carroll's meaningless RBI total.
MLB Dirt says the Mark Kotsay signing makes zero sense for the Padres.
Raise The Jolly Roger is okay with the Pirates signing Rod Barajas.
Giants Nirvana thinks the Giants should part ways with Jeff Keppinger.
Warehouse Worthy tries to figure out what happened to Brian Matusz.
Blog Red Machine mused about baseball's upcoming realignment.
Yanks Go Yard provides some thoughts on baseball's expanded playoffs.
The Hottest Stove says the league changes are cheapening the regular season.
Sports of Boston wrote about baseball's ever-changing uniforms.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Tigers Agree To Sign Gerald Laird

By Mike Axisa | November 18, 2011 at 10:15am CDT

FRIDAY: The Tigers announced the deal. It's a one-year contract for $1MM, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

THURSDAY: The Tigers and Gerald Laird have agreed to a one-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The deal is still pending a physical.

Laird, 32, spent the 2009-2010 seasons in Detroit after coming over in a trade with the Rangers. He hit just .232/.302/.358 in 108 plate appearances with the World Series Champion Cardinals this past season, throwing out just four of 20 attempted basestealers. The move allows the Tigers to use Victor Martinez as a full-time DH.

Brewers Notes: Fielder, Reyes, Betancourt, Hairston

By Mike Axisa | November 14, 2011 at 8:30pm CDT

This week's GM meetings are being held in Milwaukee, so let's round up some news from the local team…

GM Doug Melvin confirmed to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that they will not extend an offer to Prince Fielder during this week's GM meetings. “We won’t do that here,” said Melvin, who is open to meeting with Fielder's agent, Scott Boras.
Melvin told McCalvy that he has not decided if he will make more phone calls or have a face-to-face meeting with Jose Reyes' agent, Peter Greenberg. “[We've made] one phone call … No numbers," said the GM.
The Brewers declined Yuniesky Betancourt's $6MM option for 2012, but Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel that he's "very interested" in bringing the shortstop back at a lower salary.
Melvin has also spoken to Jerry Hairston Jr.'s agent about returning, according to Haudricourt (on Twitter).

Mariners Willing To Include Cash In Figgins Trade

By Mike Axisa | November 14, 2011 at 6:39pm CDT

The Chone Figgins' signing has been nothing short of a disaster for the Mariners, which is why the team is willing to include cash in any trade involving the infielder according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. There isn't much interest right now, but Morosi says the Mariners view the Reds, Giants, and Tigers as possible trade fits.

Figgins, 33 in January, has hit just .236/.309/.285 with 53 steals in 74 chances during his two years in Seattle. He can play second and third bases, and has also filled in at left field in recent years. There are still two years and $17MM left on his contract, and a $9MM option for 2014 will vest with 600 plate appearances in 2013. It's not unreasonable to think the Mariners will have to eat upwards of $15MM to move Figgins.

Quick Hits: Lee, Cespedes, Indians, Cards, Dodgers

By Mike Axisa | November 12, 2011 at 10:52pm CDT

On this date last year, the Red Sox and Marlins swapped Dustin Richardson for Andrew Miller, a deal that didn't really work out for either side. Here are some notes from around the league…

Sosnick Cobbe Sports will represent Korean left-handed pitcher Seung-ho Lee according to the agency's Twitter feed. The 30-year-old is a free agent and looking to join a team in MLB.
MLB.com's Carrie Muskat reports that the Cubs will hold a private workout session for 26-year-old Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes at some point soon.
"We're looking to improve the position player side of the roster," said Indians GM Chris Antonetti to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The team's payroll will jump from $49MM to about $70MM, with much of that going towards arbitration raises.
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the team is projecting Daniel Descalso as their Opening Day second baseman (Twitter link). He added that he "wouldn't mind" a double play combination of Descalso and Tyler Greene.
Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times reports that Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to let him negotiate a sale of the team's television rights, which will increase the sale price of the club. FOX Sports, which holds the clubs television rights, is trying to prevent the move.

“No Evidence” Giants Would Trade Lincecum Or Cain

By Mike Axisa | November 12, 2011 at 8:32pm CDT

Despite their desperate need for offense, SI.com's Jon Heyman says (on Twitter) there's no evidence the Giants would trade either Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain this offseason. One GM went so far as to say there's "no point even asking."

Cain, 27, will earn $15MM in 2012 before becoming a free agent next winter. Lincecum, also 27, is in line for a historic arbitration payday and won't hit free agency until after the 2013 season. The two right-handers have thrown at least 200 innings in each of the past four seasons, and only once did they post an ERA higher than 3.45 (Cain in 2008). In terms of wins over replacement, Lincecum (24.7) and Cain (15.9) have been the 5th and 15th most valuable pitchers in baseball since the start of 2008, respectively.

Earlier this month, both Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Dave Cameron of FanGraphs explored the possibility of the Giants trading Lincecum for multiple pieces to improve their roster overall.

Cards Don’t Plan To Greatly Increase Offer To Pujols

By Mike Axisa | November 12, 2011 at 7:07pm CDT

Albert Pujols is being wooed by the Miami Marlins, but that hasn't forced his former team's hand just yet. SI.com's Jon Heyman reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals do not plan to greatly increase the nine-year, $210MM contract offer they made to Pujols before the season.

The Marlins are the only team to extend an offer to Pujols so far this offseason, but we have heard that the Angels, Dodgers, Yankees, and Rangers are unlikely to pursue the slugger. It was reported earlier today that Miami's offer "probably isn’t close to being enough" to lure Pujols away from St. Louis. Only a handful of teams can afford to match the Cardinals' original offer, so there's no reason for them to sweeten the pot just yet.

Ortiz Will Affect Red Sox’s Outfield Plans

By Mike Axisa | November 12, 2011 at 5:50pm CDT

The Red Sox lost their closer yesterday, and today GM Ben Cherington told reporters (including Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe) that losing their DH would affect what the team does in right field (Twitter link). If they're able to retain David Ortiz, they're unlikely to chase a big bat for the outfield. Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald provides a quote…

“There’s some interesting guys out there that could factor into our right-field mix,” said Cherington. “A lot of that depends again on David. If David’s here, we’re going to go in a certain direction with the outfield. If he’s not here, it sort of opens it up a little bit. There’s alternatives, both in free agency and in a trade market for guys that can play right field.”

Ortiz, 36 next week, hit .309/.398/.554 with 40 doubles and 29 home runs in 2011, his best output since 2007. Boston's right fielders, on the other hand, hit just .233/.299/.353 as J.D. Drew battled injuries and fill-ins like Josh Reddick, Mike Cameron, and Darnell McDonald struggled. Rick Ankiel and David DeJesus could represent low-cost right field solutions, though that is just speculation.

The Red Sox did not offer Ortiz a contract during the exclusive negotiating period, but yesterday we heard that the two sides have been talking.

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