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Yankees Have Spoken To Johnny Damon

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With Jesus Montero headed to the Mariners, the Yankees have spoken to Johnny Damon about the possibility of returning to New York as a DH according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (all Twitter links). He says they don't have much money left to spend on a hitter, adding that there's a "very small chance" they would consider Jorge Posada since he has yet to make his retirement official.

Damon spent four seasons in pinstripes, hitting .285/.363/.458 from 2006-2009. He hit .261/.326/.418 with 16 homers and 19 steals for the Rays last year, with 596 of his 647 plate appearances coming as the DH. The Orioles have expressed interest in him this month, though a return to Tampa is unlikely after they signed Luke Scott. Andy Martino of The New York Daily News says the Yankees have not yet fully evaluated their DH options following the Montero trade, and MLB.com's Bryan Hoch adds that they may be okay with Andruw Jones and minor league slugger Jorge Vazquez at the position to start the year (Twitter links).

Blue Jays Avoid Arbitration With Colby Rasmus

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The Blue Jays and Colby Rasmus have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2.7MM, report CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Toronto acquired the Beverly Hills Sports Council client from the Cardinals at the trade deadline.

Our system forecast a $2.3MM salary for Rasmus next season. In 35 games after the trade, the 25-year-old hit just .173/.201/.316 with three homers while battling a wrist sprain. He's a .251/.322/.432 career hitter in his three big league seasons, though the various advanced metrics are mixed about his defensive performance. 

As our Arbitration Tracker shows, the Blue Jays still have five unsigned arbitration-eligible players: Ben Francisco, Casey Janssen, Kelly Johnson, Brandon Morrow, and Carlos Villanueva.

Contract Length Biggest Hold Up In Darvish Talks

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The Rangers and Yu Darvish have until this coming Tuesday to reach an agreement on a contract, and Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports that the biggest sticking point in negotiations is contract length. The team wants a six-year deal, but the right-hander wants five years so he can become a free agent sooner.

Texas is offering Darvish a contract similar to the one Daisuke Matsuzaka signed with the Red Sox five years ago, meaning six years and $52MM. The 25-year-old right-hander will still be young enough to land one more big contract after a potential deal with the Rangers expires, but a shorter deal will allow him to hit the open market sooner. Passan says the likelihood of a total breakdown in talks is minimal since the relationship between the two sides is "strong and respectful."

Quick Hits: Wood, Soriano, Yankees, Moreland, O’s

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Some links as Saturday turns into Sunday…

  • Before re-signing with the Cubs, Kerry Wood agreed to a deal with another club and was preparing for his physical when the Cubs swooped in according to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. Levine hears that the Reds were most interested in Wood before he re-signed with Chicago, but it's unclear if they're the team he had the agreement with.
  • As many as eight teams have inquired about Alfonso Soriano, reports Levine. Most of those clubs are American League teams. Levine says Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts reiterated that he'll to eat most of the money owed to Soriano to facilitate a trade.
  • Marc Carig of The Star Ledger wonders if the Michael Pineda trade is a sign of things to come for the Yankees, who could opt to trade for pitching in the future rather than sign free agent arms to long-term deals.
  • "All I can do is worry about getting healthy and being a part of this team next year," said Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland to FOXSportsSouthwest.com's Anthony Andro when asked about the Prince Fielder rumors (Twitter link).
  • “Our minor-league system is in the bottom ten-percent in the industry in terms of signing players at the amateur level and developing them for the big leagues," said Orioles GM Dan Duquette to Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com. "That’s what needs to improve over the next couple of years.”
  • The Orioles have signed utility man Peter Fatse away from the independent Newark Bears, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. The 24-year-old spent two seasons in the Brewers' farm system before hitting .279/.348/.418 with five homers in 284 plate appearances for Newark last season.

Mozeliak On Pujols, Molina, Oswalt, Fielder, Edmonds

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Cardinals GM John Mozeliak spoke to fans and media at the team's 16th annual Winter Warm-Up today, touching on a wide range of topics. MLB.com's Matthew Leach was there, and provided us with a rundown of all the news. Let's recap…

  • Mozeliak called the Albert Pujols negotiations "exhausting (and) frustrating," but said it is time to move on. "[It] just creates new opportunities for us," he added.
  • "In terms of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, I really can’t get into those types of details," said Mozeliak when asked about a potential contract extension for Yadier Molina, who can become a free agent after the season. "But I assure we’re going to try to find a way to make it work. I know that he also wants to try to be here as well, so usually when you have that type of understanding and mutual agreement, you usually can get something resolved.”
  • "I haven’t heard anything about it and I probably won’t until they see that I’m healthy and out there rolling," said Adam Wainwright when asked about a potential contract extension, according to Leach. "But of course I want to finish my career here, everybody knows that. Everybody that plays here wants to finish their career here."
  • When asked about the possibility of signing Roy Oswalt, Mozeliak replied that he likes "the idea of an insurance policy" for the rotation. "There’s no doubt that he would be a nice addition, but I just don’t know how practical it is at this time," he added.
  • Unsurprisingly, Mozeliak made it very clear that the Cardinals will not be signing Prince Fielder. He said any further additions would likely involve a pitcher and not a hitter.
  • Mozeliak and manager Mike Matheny have spoken about bringing Jim Edmonds back to the organization in some non-playing capacity. “As far as what the role looks like or how we define it, we haven’t done that yet,” said the GM.

Hamilton Open To Extension Before Spring Training

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The Rangers have been talking to several of their core players about contract extensions this offseason, but Josh Hamilton told Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the door for a new deal is only open until Spring Training (Twitter link). He does want to remain in Texas long-term, but apparently does not want to negotiate while preparing for the season.

Hamilton, 30, is scheduled to become a free agent after earning $13.75MM in 2012 as part of the two-year, $24MM contract he signed last winter. He's hit a stout .311/.366/.541 during his four years with the Rangers, but only once in his five-year career has he stayed healthy enough to appear in more than 133 games. A full, healthy season with typical Hamilton production figures to have his agent eyeing Jayson Werth (seven years, $126MM) and Carl Crawford (seven years, $142MM) money on the open market next offseason.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Posada, Madson, Fielder

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On this date in 2005, the owners unanimously approved the sale of the Brewers from Bud Selig to Mark Attanasio for $223MM. In the seven years under Attanasio, Milwaukee has as many playoff appearances (two) as they did in 34 years under Selig, who moved the Seattle Pilots franchise to his hometown in 1970. As the offseason draws closer to an end, here is the latest and greatest from around the web…

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

Phillies Avoid Arbitration With Kyle Kendrick

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The Phillies announced that they have avoided arbitration with Kyle Kendrick by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.585MM. SFX represents the second-time arbitration eligible right-hander.

As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, the Phillies now have three remaining arbitration eligible players: Cole Hamels, Hunter Pence and Wilson Valdez. 

Kendrick, 27, posted a 3.22 ERA with 4.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 114 2/3 innings last year. He owns a 43-30 career record with a 4.41 ERA in 598 1/3 innings of work since 2007. The Phillies control his rights through 2014.

Astros Links: Lee, Wandy, Vasquez, Santana, Law

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The Astros inked southpaw Trever Miller on this date in 2006, bringing him back for a second stint with the team. Here's the latest from Houston…

  • The Astros have heard from a few teams with interest in Carlos Lee, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Nothing is close however, and Morosi speculates that the Indians could be a fit.
  • Interest in Wandy Rodriguez "seems almost nonexistent," reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Last month we heard that the Astros seemed willing to absorb some of the $25.5MM left on the left-hander's contract to facilitate a trade.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros have signed 16-year-old right-hander Carlos Vasquez and 17-year-old outfielder Edward Santana. An agreement with 17-year-old righty Tomas Lopez is not yet official. All three players are from the Dominican Republic and will report to the team's academy there.
  • Keith Law announced (on Twitter) that he will remain with ESPN after interviewing for some front office positions with the Astros last month.
  • The Astros have received permission to interview Cardinals regional cross-checker Mike Elias for a special assistant role in scouting, reports Law (on Twitter).

Red Sox Sign Justin Germano

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The Red Sox have signed Justin Germano, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). The 29-year-old righty finished last season in Korea, and Heyman says he turned down more than $1MM overseas for a chance to make the Sox.

Germano allowed eight runs in 12 2/3 innings for the Indians last season before joining the Samsung Lions. He owns a 5.02 ERA in 253 career innings for the Tribe, Reds, and Padres. He also spent time in Japan earlier in his career. The Red Sox recently added Aaron Cook as well, as they look to build some pitching depth.

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