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Minor Moves: Kevin Russo, Scott Olsen

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Here are Sunday's minor moves…

  • The Tigers have signed Kevin Russo to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The 28-year-old utility man hit .284/.358/.351 with 15 steals in 456 Triple-A plate appearances while playing second, third, and all three outfield spots. Russo made a brief cameo with the 2010 Yankees.
  • The Rangers have signed Scott Olsen according to the MLB.com transactions page. The 28-year-old left-hander appeared in just three minor league games with the White Sox last year, allowing two runs in five innings. He missed most of 2011 with shoulder problems and hasn't appeared in the big leagues since 2010 with the Nationals.

Silverman’s Latest: Greinke, Royals, Rays, Blue Jays

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Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Michael Silverman of The Boston Herald that he was unsure if he'd be able to acquire Miguel Cabrera (and Dontrelle Willis) in 2007. “A lot of clubs were involved and I didn’t think it was going to work for us for where we were financially,” said Dombrowski. “Once we sat down with the Marlins, it took us just a day to work out that deal. It happened very fast.”

Here are Silverman's rumors…

Cafardo’s Latest: Blockbuster, Cabrera, Pavano, Grilli

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In his Sunday Notes column, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says Miguel Cabrera was a worthy MVP winner even if the data supported Mike Trout. Here are Cafardo's rumors…

  • Although criticism is warranted, the Blue Jays–Marlins blockbuster was a legitimate baseball trade because Miami received plenty of young, high-end talent in return.
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers was never really in the hunt for Jose Reyes, and he has yet to be overwhelmed with an offer for Justin Upton.
  • The Red Sox are more likely to deal Jarrod Saltalamacchia than Ryan Lavarnway in the wake of the David Ross signing, but only if they get a good offer.
  • Both the Red Sox and Diamondbacks are interested in Asdrubal Cabrera of the Indians while Boston also has some interest in Stephen Drew.
  • Carl Pavano was given a clean bill of health in September after missing most of the season with a shoulder problem. His agent Dave Pepe has received a few preliminary calls, and Pavano could sign a minor league deal.
  • Most executives love Dan Haren but would not be comfortable offering more than two years given concerns about his back. Most prefer a one-year deal with an option.
  • Eight teams, including the Red Sox, have interest in right-hander Jason Grilli according to his agent Gary Sheffield. They have three offers at the moment but are not in a hurry to sign.
  • The Indians are looking at Kevin Youkilis at first base while the Phillies and Dodgers like him at third. He's a back-burner option for Los Angeles and although Towers made a call, the Diamondbacks likely won't be involved.

Braves To Sign Gerald Laird

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SATURDAY: Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears the deal is worth $3.3MM total, but he cautions that he doesn't have the exact figure yet (Twitter link).

FRIDAY: The Braves have agreed to sign Gerald Laird to a two-year contract, the team announced. The Braves expect the CSE client to add value in a reserve role.

“Gerald gives us a proven Major League veteran behind the plate,” Braves GM Frank Wren said. “He was high on our list of off-season goals and we are fortunate to acquire a catcher with his level of experience, not only in the regular season, but also in the postseason.”

The 33-year-old catcher hit .282/.337/.374 with two homers in 191 plate appearances for the Tigers last season, his best offensive year since 2008. Laird is a career .244/.303/.359 hitter in the big leagues and has thrown out approximately 27% of attempted basestealers over the last three years.

Atlanta needed a new backup catcher behind Brian McCann after David Ross signed with the Red Sox. Laird did not make Tim Dierkes' Top 50 Free Agents List.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement (on Twitter). MLB.com's Mark Bowman reported a deal was close and added that the sides had agreed to a two-year contract.

Twins Continue To Pursue Free Agent Pitchers

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The Twins have not yet made any moves this offseason, but John Shipley of The Pioneer Press says the team continues to monitor the free agent pitching market. GM Terry Ryan also acknowledged talking to the Marlins prior to their blockbuster with the Blue Jays.

"Anybody who is a starting pitcher that we've identified as having some ability, you can assume we've touched base with them," said Ryan, adding that they were "aware of (the Marlins) feelings" before the blockbuster.

Shipley said the team's list of pitching targets includes Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Edwin Jackson, Brandon McCarthy, and Joe Saunders, though some may be more realistic than others. The club has approximately $25MM to work with this winter assuming they'll maintain a similar payroll level next season, and outside of 26-year-old lefty Scott Diamond, no one from Minnesota's 2012 rotation is guaranteed a spot in 2012.

Marlins Sign Juan Pierre

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9:19pm: Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says it's a one-year agreement worth $1.6MM (Twitter link).

8:28pm: The Marlins have signed Juan Pierre, reports Craig Mish of Sirius 210 XM 87 Fantasy Sports Radio (on Twitter). The veteran outfielder is an SFX client. Details of the deal are unknown.

Pierre, 35, hit .307/.351/.371 with 37 steals for the Phillies this season. He'll fill the leadoff void created by the blockbuster trade with the Blue Jays, which will send both Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio to the Blue Jays. Tim Dierkes did not rank Pierre on his Top 50 Free Agents List.

“Handful” Of Teams Interested In J.P Howell

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Free agent left-hander J.P. Howell told Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times that there are "a handful" of teams interested in signing him. The Angels may be one of those teams, and the southpaw didn't have a timeframe for a decision.

Howell, 29, pitched to a 3.04 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 50.1 relief innings for the Rays this year. He had shoulder surgery in 2010 and held left-handed hitters to a .200/.306/.306 batting line this season. Howell did not rank as one of Tim Dierkes' Top 50 Free Agents.

Quick Hits: Hamilton, Ramirez, Kuroda, Bourn, Mets

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Reds top prospect Billy Hamilton left today's Arizona Fall League Championship Game with lower back spasms after crashing into the wall on an Anthony Rendon triple. Hamilton, who stole 155 bases in the minor leagues this year, is in the process of transitioning from shortstop to center field. Here's the game's box score and here's the latest from around the league…

  • Free agent right-hander Ramon Ramirez did not leave the ACES agency due to the Melky Cabrera suspension fallout, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The two sides split mutually after Ramirez asked the agency to do something it had never done regarding fees.
  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post wonders if Hiroki Kuroda's desire to finish in his career in Japan will help the Yankees re-sign him. New York is willing to offer a one-year contract right now, and Sherman thinks they may be willing to approach $16MM.
  • Unsurprisingly, the Mets won't jump into the fray to sign Michael Bourn late, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Earlier today, MLBTR readers voted 55-45 in favor of Bourn over fellow free agent center fielder B.J. Upton.
  • The Marlins have hired Indians field coordinator Rob Leary as their new bench coach, the Indians announced (on Twitter). Leary spent almost a decade as an instructor in the Red Sox's farm system.

Olney’s Latest: Bargains, Melky, Dodgers, Upton

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In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about several key market forces in play this offseason, including clubs clinging to their prospects perhaps a little too tightly. "They're still prospects, meaning that anything can happen. You still don't know whether they can play in the big leagues," said one GM. Here's the rest from Olney…

  • High asking prices have teams scrambling for bargains early this offseason. One-year deals for Bartolo Colon and Scott Baker are the types of signings we usually don't see until January, but this winter the big name players could be the last to sign.
  • The Blue Jays have driven the market so far, but other clubs starved for success figure to be big players as well. Olney listed the Mariners and Indians as two candidates.
  • Olney is surprised Melky Cabrera took a two-year contract from the Blue Jays only because a one-year deal would have allowed him to re-establish his value and seek a bigger payday next winter.
  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is working under orders to make the team better regardless of cost. "Cost is no object for them," said a GM. "They are playing a different game than the rest of us right now."
  • Olney says it would be a shock if the Marlins don't trade Giancarlo Stanton at some point in the next 20 months. He's not happy with the team and is unlikely to sign a long-term contract.
  • The Nationals have made contact with B.J. Upton, but he is an imperfect fit for their already right-handed heavy lineup.

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