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Cardinals Sign Alex Cora

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4:19pm: Cora would get $800K in the Major Leagues, the Associated Press reports (via ESPN.com).

12:00pm: The Cardinals agreed to a minor league deal with a spring training invite with infielder Alex Cora, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  On Saturday, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reported a deal was close.

Cora will compete for a utility infield role, writes Goold.  The 36-year-old Scott Boras client hit .224/.287/.276 in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals last year, spending most of his time in the field on the left side of the infield.

Nationals Sign Mark Teahen

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The Nationals announced today they've signed infielder/outfielder Mark Teahen to a minor league deal.  They also announced their deal with outfielder Rick Ankiel.

Teahen, 30, hit .200/.273/.300 in 177 plate appearances for the White Sox last year, appearing at the infield and outfield corners.  The Blue Jays took Teahen and his contract from the White Sox last summer to facilitate their temporary acquisition of Edwin Jackson.  The Jays ended up releasing Teahen last month.  He's represented by CAA Sports.

The Nationals will also have Andres Blanco, Jarrett Hoffpauir, Chad Tracy, Mike Cameron, Brett Carroll, Jason Michaels, and Xavier Paul in camp competing for part-time roles on the big league club.

Duquette On Guthrie, Bullpen, Manny

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With starter Jeremy Guthrie entering his contract year, Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette felt compelled to send him to the Rockies for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, who can both be controlled for 2013.  Duquette praised the strikeout-to-walk ratios of his new additions.  Other notes from Duquette's conference call today:

  • Duquette feels Hammel essentially replaces Guthrie's innings in the rotation, and Lindstrom represents a power arm at the back of the Orioles' bullpen.  By the way, for the latest bullpen depth charts check out RotoAuthority, and for breaking news about stoppers follow @closernews on Twitter.
  • Duquette didn't care to speculate on whether the Orioles would have retained Guthrie had he settled a month ago on a figure closer to the team's $7.25MM submission.  He did note that he didn't think that salary was possible unless they won a hearing.  Upon the trade Guthrie ended up settling below the midpoint, at $8.2MM.
  • "We didn't have any offers of young prospects for Jeremy," Duquette told reporters.
  • The Orioles top exec wouldn't comment on the Rangers' Koji Uehara, but he did say, "We would still like to strengthen our bullpen between now and Spring Training."
  • Duquette admitted he's had exploratory talks with Manny Ramirez's agent and the Orioles have seen him work out, but added, "We are still considering the composition of this club, and some of the challenges of integrating a player like Manny into our ballclub and market."

Rockies To Acquire Guthrie For Hammel, Lindstrom

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"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Baltimore anymore," tweeted righty Jeremy Guthrie this morning after learning he'd been traded from the Orioles to the Rockies.  The clubs reached an agreement that sends Guthrie to Colorado for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun first reported the near-deal, which has now been officially announced. 

Guthrie's arbitration hearing against the Orioles was scheduled for this morning with a $7.25MM-$10.25MM spread, but his agent Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Sports tweeted today he reached an agreement on a one-year deal that fits "within the Rockies' payroll structure" and is "a showing of good faith."  Connolly says Guthrie settled with the Rockies at $8.2MM, which is $550K below the midpoint.  With the Orioles, a hearing had "seemed possible and even likely," tweeted Van Wagenen.

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Guthrie, 32, had been a regular in Baltimore's rotation since being claimed off waivers from the Indians five years ago.  Last year he posted a 4.33 ERA, 5.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, and 39.6% groundball rate in 208 innings for the Orioles.  His skills suggest a 200-inning, 4.50 ERA guy in the AL East.  Guthrie (pictured) will be a useful addition for a Rockies rotation long on options but short on stability, assuming his proclivity to surrender home runs doesn't worsen in Coors Field.  Guthrie will be eligible for free agency after the season, and I would not expect draft pick compensation.

Hammel, 29, posted a 4.76 ERA, 5.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 1.11 HR/9, and 43.9% groundball rate in 170 1/3 innings last year.  Acquired from the Rays three years ago, Hammel has given the Rockies 170+ innings in each season since the trade.  Prior to 2011, Hammel's skills suggested a pitcher capable of a sub-4.00 ERA.  In 2011, however, he was demoted to the Rockies' bullpen in August.  He'll earn $4.75MM in 2012 and will be arbitration eligible for 2013.

Lindstrom, 31, posted a 3.00 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.50 HR/9, and 47.3% groundball rate in 54 innings last year for the Rockies.  His strikeout rates have always seemed low for someone averaging a 96 mile-per-hour fastball.  Lindstrom, who was acquired in December 2010 from the Astros, is owed $3.6MM for 2012 and has a $4MM club option for '13.  Interestingly, Guthrie and Lindstrom both put their baseball careers on hold for two-year Mormon missions in their lives.    

With the trade, Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has subtracted his rotation's one sure thing in favor of Hammel, who was demoted from the Rockies' rotation last summer.  He did acquire two pitchers for the price of one, as well as potential 2013 control for each.  Noted Duquette on today's conference call, "We didn't have any offers of young prospects for Jeremy."  Duquette has hooked up with Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd for trades twice before, when the former was at the helm of the Red Sox.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Orioles Designate Clay Rapada For Assignment

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The Orioles designated lefty Clay Rapada for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot in the wake of their recent two-for-one trade, tweets MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.  

Rapada, 31 in March, has tallied 52 2/3 big league innings for the Tigers, Cubs, Rangers, and Orioles across five seasons.  He's done a nice job against lefties in 34 2/3 career innings.

Anibal Sanchez Wins Arbitration Case

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Pitcher Anibal Sanchez won his arbitration case against the Marlins, tweets his agent Gene Mato.  In what Mato deems a "historic win for the players going forward," Sanchez received an $8MM salary for 2012 instead of the team's $6.9MM figure.  Mato pulled off the win despite not being able to use Shaun Marcum's $7.725MM settlement, as Marcum's deal was strategically not announced until Sanchez's hearing concluded.  Sanchez's salary represents the largest ever for a starting pitcher who went to a hearing.

Three hearings have occurred so far this year, but this is the first win for a player.  The Marlins appear headed for another hearing with Emilio Bonifacio, though the sides are only $250K apart.

Sanchez, 28 in a few weeks, has a 3.61 ERA in 64 starts for the Marlins over the last two seasons.  He appears primed for a big free agent payday after the 2012 season.

Seeking Agency Information For 315 Players

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With over 1,500 players, MLBTR's agency database has become a useful tool for fans and journalists.  The database has been growing for about a year now, but some gaps in the data remain.  Specifically, we're seeking agency information for 315 players currently on 40-man rosters.  If you work for an agency that represents any of these players, or otherwise know a player's representation with certainty, we'd greatly appreciate an email to mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.  Click below to see the list of players for which we seek agency data.

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Rockies Close To Acquiring Jeremy Guthrie

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The Rockies and Orioles are nearing an agreement that would send starter Jeremy Guthrie to Colorado, most likely for pitchers Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, reports Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Connolly believes a third piece for the Orioles was discussed, but the sides settled on Hammel and Lindstrom.  Guthrie's arbitration hearing was scheduled for this morning, but is believed to have been postponed.  With a $3MM gap, the righty's arbitration case has a sizeable spread.

Guthrie, 32, has been a regular in Baltimore's rotation since being claimed off waivers from the Indians five years ago.  Last year he posted a 4.33 ERA, 5.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, and 39.6% groundball rate in 208 innings for the Orioles.  His skills suggest a 200-inning, 4.50 ERA guy in the AL East.  Guthrie will be a useful addition for a Rockies rotation long on options but short on stability, assuming his proclivity to surrender home runs doesn't worsen.  Guthrie will be eligible for free agency after the season.

Hammel, 29, posted a 4.76 ERA, 5.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9, 1.11 HR/9, and 43.9% groundball rate in 170 1/3 innings last year.  Acquired from the Rays three years ago, Hammel has given the Rockies 170+ innings in each of his seasons.  Prior to 2011, Hammel's skills suggested a pitcher capable of a sub-4.00 ERA.  In 2011, however, he was moved to the Rockies' bullpen in August.  He'll earn $4.75MM in 2012 and will be arbitration eligible for 2013.

Lindstrom, 31, posted a 3.00 ERA, 6.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 0.50 HR/9, and 47.3% groundball rate in 54 innings last year for the Rockies.  His strikeout rates have always seemed low for someone averaging a 96 mile-per-hour fastball.  Lindstrom, who was acquired in December 2010 from the Astros, is owed $3.6MM for 2012 and has a $4MM club option for '13.    

With the trade, Orioles vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has subtracted his rotation's one sure thing in favor of Hammel, who was demoted from the Rockies' rotation last summer.  He did acquire two pitchers for the price of one, as well as potential 2013 control for each.

This post was first published the morning of February 6th.

Free $400 Fantasy Basketball Contest (Sponsored Post)

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Looking to show off your fantasy basketball genius this week?  Try DraftStreet, where you can put together a new fantasy team each week and compete against other users for real money.

Right now DraftStreet has an NBA freeroll for MLB Trade Rumors readers, meaning you can take a shot at a chunk of the $400 prize pool for free, with no strings attached.  Here's how it works.

The NBA freeroll begins Friday at 7:00pm eastern time, so you have until then to create your team.  You're given a $100K salary cap, and each player is assigned a price by DraftStreet.  Chris Duhon appears to be good value at his $5,000 salary, for example.  Your roster will cover these positions: 2 forwards, 2 guards, 2 centers, and 2 utility players.  You get points based on how your team performs through Friday night's games.  The teams with the most points get the prize money.  Below is a screenshot of a sample roster: 

Draftstreet

If you're interested, sign up and create a roster prior to Friday's games (7:00pm eastern time).  It's quick, easy, fun, and the MLBTR league gives you a free chance to win some of the $400 prize pool.  If you enjoy the competition you can try other leagues for free and earn credits, or deposit real money.

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