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Free Agent Faceoff: Anibal Sanchez vs. Kyle Lohse

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MLBTradeRumors is introducing a new series in which two comparable free agents are analyzed side by side. Each post will conclude with a reader vote on the value of the two players.

Starting pitching is always at a premium and this offseason will be no different. Two of the very best starters on the free market are Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Lohse, who ranked fourth and tenth on Tim’s Top 50 Free Agents List, respectively. Both right-handers pitched for playoff teams this season and have shown durability in recent years, but is one more desirable than the other?

Sanchez, 28, pitched to a 3.86 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 this season, including a 3.74 ERA in 12 starts following his trade from the Marlins to the Tigers. He’s thrown at least 190 innings in each of the last three years following major shoulder surgery in 2008. Sanchez is a true four-pitch pitcher (fastball, curveball, slider, changeup) who gets a decent amount of ground balls (45.3% from 2010-2012) and has actually been better against lefties than righties these last three years (.667 vs. .739 OPS).

Lohse, 34, posted a 2.86 ERA in 211 innings this season, including a 6.1 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9. He’s thrown at least 180 innings in the last two years and four times in the last six years. Lohse gives up a fair amount of fly balls (41.4% grounders the last three years) despite his lack of strikeouts. He’s primarily a sinker-slider-changuep pitcher who has been hit harder by lefties than righties these last three years (.737 vs. .688 OPS). That said, he’s been better than Sanchez these last two years — 3.11 ERA in 399 1/3 innings vs. 3.77 ERA in 392 innings.

Marlins Sign Kevin Kouzmanoff & Jordan Smith

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Here are the day's minor league signings…

  • The Marlins have signed Kevin Kouzmanoff to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, reports Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel (on Twitter). The 31-year-old infielder hit .276/.309/.382 in 355 Triple-A plate appearances this year. He hasn't played in the big leagues since 2011.
  • The Marlins also signed Jordan Smith to a minor league pact with an invite to Spring Training according to Rodriguez. Smith, 26, pitched to a 4.76 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate this year. The right-hander posted a 4.94 ERA in 62 relief innings for Cincinnati from 2010-2011.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Cardinals, Solis, Fick

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Here are today's outright assignments…

  • The Cardinals have outrighted Steven Hill, Bryan Anderson, and Adam Reifer to Triple-A, reports Brian Walton of Scout.com. Catchers Hill, 27, and Anderson, 25, have made brief cameos with St. Louis in recent years while Reifer, a 26-year-old right-hander, has never played in the show.
  • The Pirates have outrighted Ali Solis to Triple-A according to the MLB.com transactions page. Pittsburgh claimed the 25-year-old backstop from the Padres late last month, after he hit .283/.307/.419 with San Diego's Double-A affiliate and earned a September call-up.
  • The Astros outrighted Chuckie Fick to Triple-A, the team announced. Houston claimed the 26-year-old right-hander from the Cardinals in July, and he pitched to a 4.30 ERA in 23 innings for Houston down the stretch.

Ten Teams Interested In Mike Gonzalez

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Mike Gonzalez didn't find a home for 2012 until May, but interest in the left-hander is plentiful this offseason. He told James Wagner of The Washington Post that about ten teams have already expressed interest in his services, but his top priority is staying with the Nationals.

“They’ve had a couple conversations,” said Gonzalez. “[My agent] told me that [the Nationals] are definitely interested and I’m definitely interested. It’s going to be good. We haven’t started throwing money there. But there’s interest on every side.”

Gonzalez, 34, pitched to a 3.03 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 35 2/3 innings for Washington this season, holding lefties to a .179/.257/.269 batting line with 23 strikeouts in 75 plate appearances. He recently left Scott Boras for Dan Lozano and said that while he's hoping for a two-year deal, comfort will be a big factor with his decision this offseason.

With both Gonzalez and Sean Burnett becoming free agents, Tom Gorzelanny is currently the only left-hander in the Nationals' bullpen. He's more of a longman than a matchup specialist.

Blue Jays Acquire Esmil Rogers For Aviles, Gomes

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The Blue Jays have acquired Esmil Rogers from the Indians for Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes, both teams announced. The move fills a hole for each club, as Toronto gets pitching depth while Cleveland gets infield depth.

Rogers, 27, pitched to a 3.06 ERA with 9.2 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 53 innings for the Tribe this year. He was acquired from the Rockies for cash in mid-June after being designated for assignment. Rogers throws very hard — averaged 95.7 mph with the fastball in 2012 — and remains under team control through 2016. He fell just short of the Super Two cutoff this offseason.

Toronto had just acquired Aviles from the Red Sox as compensation for manager John Farrell late last month. The 31-year-old infielder hit .250/.282/.381 with 13 homers for Boston last year and is capable of playing the three non-first base infield spots. Aviles is projected to make $2.3MM through arbitration this winter and will remain under team control in 2014 as well. He played for new Indians manager Terry Francona briefly with the Red Sox in 2011.

Gomes, 25, hit .204/.264/.367 with four homers in 111 plate appearances for the Jays this season, his first taste of the big leagues. He hit .328/.380/.557 with 13 homers in 335 plate appearances at hitter-friendly Triple-A Las Vegas this summer, and has experience at both infield corners and well as behind the plate. Gomes is the first Brazilian-born player in MLB history and remains under team control through 2018.

AL East Links: Swisher, Orioles, Ross, Cabral

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Nine players received qualifying offers this winter, including five from the AL East: Nick Swisher, Hiroki Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, B.J. Upton, and David Ortiz. Here's the latest on the division…

Keith Law’s Top 50 Free Agents

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Keith Law's Top 50 Free Agents list is up at ESPN (Insider required), and it's always a must read from start to finish. Zack Greinke tops the list and Law says he'd be "very comfortable" giving him a five-year contract. Here are a few other noteworthy items…

  • Law would be "loath to go beyond three years" for Josh Hamilton because of his lack of durability. He notes that the outfielder's "approach has started to deteriorate the past two years."
  • Hiroki Kuroda ranks as the second best free agent starter while Dan Haren, who had his option declined last night, is fourth among rotation candidates.
  • Mike Napoli is more of a first baseman or DH who "probably couldn't catch full-time even if a team wanted him to."
  • Korean left-hander Hyun-jin Ryu, who was posted yesterday, is more of a reliever than starter in Law's eyes. He ranked 37th.

Blue Jays Targeting Several Free Agent Pitchers

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The Blue Jays are casting a wide net in their search for pitching, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They have already shown interest in Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Kyle Lohse, and Ryan Dempster, among others.

Toronto is also one of several clubs to inquire about Scott Baker, joining the Red Sox, Cubs, and Rangers. The Twins recently declined the right-hander's option but hope to sign him to a new deal. The Blue Jays have made no secret of their goal to add pitching this offseason, either through trades or free agency. Free agents can begin signing with new teams tomorrow morning.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Santana, Peavy, Ethier

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On this date in 1999, Ken Griffey Jr. officially asked the Mariners for a trade. The Kid hit .297/.387/.613 with an average of 44 homers from 1993-1999, then was dealt to the Reds in February 2000 for Mike Cameron, Brett Tomko, Antonio Perez, and a minor league pitcher. Here's the latest from baseball's blogosphere…

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

East Links: Ortiz, Hunter, Oliver, Marlins, Phillies

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Earlier tonight we had some West and Central links, so now let's complete the trifecta with some notes from baseball's two East divisions…

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