Tim Dierkes | MLB Trade Rumors

Reds Sign Dioner Navarro

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 2:33pm CDT

The Reds signed catcher Dioner Navarro to a minor league deal, according to the team's Twitter feed. He'll earn $800K plus $200K in incentives in the bigs, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Navarro, 28 in February, will provide veteran depth after catching tandem Devin Mesoraco and Ryan Hanigan. He's represented by MDR Sports Management.

Navarro hit .193/.276/.324 in 202 plate appearances for the Dodgers last year, catching 428 innings. He was designated for assignment in August. The Reds' other non-roster invitees include Sean Gallagher, Ron Mahay, Kanekoa Texeira, Clay Zavada, and Corky Miller.

Rockies Make Offer To Veteran Starting Pitcher

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 2:27pm CDT

The Rockies have made an offer to a veteran starting pitcher, GM Dan O'Dowd told Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. O'Dowd didn't provide any further detail, other than saying it wasn't Kevin Millwood.

The Rockies' rotation picture seems about ten-deep after today's acquisition of Guillermo Moscoso and Josh Outman for Seth Smith, and it appears O'Dowd seeks a veteran presence beyond that of Jorge De La Rosa. Renck speculates on Rodrigo Lopez and Jeff Francis as possibilities.

Red Sox To Sign Vicente Padilla

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 1:44pm CDT

1:44pm: Padilla received a minor league deal that pays $1.5MM in the Majors, reports the Boston Herald.

11:34am: The Red Sox reached an agreement with righty Vicente Padilla, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB Network. Boston's interest in Padilla was first reported by Francisco Jarquín Soto at the Nicaraguan paper El Nuevo Diario two days ago. Padilla is represented by Wasserman Media Group.

Padilla (pictured) made only nine appearances for the Dodgers in 2011, all in relief, before neck problems ended his season in June. He briefly took over the closer's job from Jonathan Broxton, though in recent years the 34-year-old has been a swingman and spot starter (he thrived as a starter as recently as 2010). He has reportedly been hitting 95-96 mph with his fastball this winter in Nicaragua, and has said he wants to fight for a rotation spot. Seeing as the Red Sox have no shortage of hard-throwing righties in their revamped pen, Padilla could get his wish if his health permits. Aaron Cook and Carlos Silva are expected to be part of that fifth starter battle.

Aside from his injury history, Padilla brings the baggage of a 2006 DWI and a reputation as a headhunter.

Nick Collias contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Athletics Acquire Seth Smith

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 12:33pm CDT

The Athletics acquired outfielder Seth Smith from the Rockies for righty Guillermo Moscoso and lefty Josh Outman, according to the Rockies' Twitter feed. The A's are a somewhat surprising match for Smith, but they did need corner outfield help after losing Josh Willingham and David DeJesus to free agency. Josh Reddick and Coco Crisp round out Oakland's outfield.

Smith, a 29-year-old left-handed hitter, batted .284/.347/.483 with 15 home runs in a career-high 533 plate appearances for the Rockies last year. The corner outfielder has struggled against southpaws in his career. Smith (pictured) is under team control through 2014, and MLBTR reported last night that he'll earn $2.415MM in 2012. The Rays, Mariners, Braves, and Mets are among the other teams that showed interested in Smith this winter. He became expendable after the Rockies signed Michael Cuddyer for $31.5MM in December.

Moscoso, 28, had his first prolonged big league exposure last year for the A's. He posted a 3.38 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, 0.98 HR/9, and 26.8% groundball rate in 128 innings. His flyball/pitch-to-contact approach might not play well at Coors Field. Originally signed by the Tigers, Moscoso was traded to the Rangers in December of '08 for Gerald Laird and then to the A's a year ago for Ryan Kelly. Prior to the 2010 season, Baseball America wrote, "Moscoso is ready for a big league role, either as a back-of-the-rotation starter, a long reliever, or a swingman."

Outman, 27, tossed 58 1/3 big league innings last year and another 78 1/3 at Triple-A. He's been a useful starter in the Majors, with a chunk of missed time due to June 2009 Tommy John surgery. Outman was drafted by the Phillies in 2005 and traded to Oakland in '08 as part of the Joe Blanton deal. Prior to that season, BA said Outman profiled as a number three starter. Now, he'll join Moscoso in what Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd called a "raging competition" for rotation spots. The Rockies are actually close to adding a veteran starter to the mix for more depth, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Pirates Avoid Arbitration With Charlie Morton

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 12:19pm CDT

The Pirates avoided arbitration with starter Charlie Morton, MLBTR has learned, agreeing on a one-year deal worth $2.445MM. The Proformance client tops Matt Swartz's projection by over $300K. Morton was arbitration eligible for the first time, and peers such as Chris Volstad, J.A. Happ, Randy Wells, Clayton Richard, and Homer Bailey will take note of his agreement.

As our arbitration tracker shows, the Pirates' remaining arbitration eligible players are Garrett Jones, Jeff Karstens, Casey McGehee, and Evan Meek.

Red Sox Would Have To Move Payroll For Oswalt

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 10:29am CDT

It's been a bizarro offseason, with the Marlins spending freely, the Angels winning a top free agent, and the Yankees and Red Sox exercising financial caution. The Red Sox would have to make a move to free up payroll in order to sign Roy Oswalt, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford, putting a deal in doubt.

The Red Sox have maintained dialogue with Oswalt's agent in recent days, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, who feels the team must fortify their rotation. Reportedly, Oswalt is looking for about $8MM guaranteed on a one-year deal.

Tigers Avoid Arbitration With Rick Porcello

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 9:33am CDT

The Tigers avoided arbitration with starter Rick Porcello, MLBTR has learned, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3.1MM. Porcello recently made the easy decision to take arbitration over a $1.344MM option in the Major League deal he signed when drafted. Porcello started from a higher salary than most pre-arbitration players, at $1.536MM in 2011 from that Major League deal. With two years and 170 days of Major League service, the 23-year-old Hendricks Sports client was arbitration eligible as a Super Two player. His settlement may be relevant for Jordan Zimmermann and others.

The Tigers' remaining arbitration eligible players are Phil Coke, Don Kelly, Max Scherzer, and Delmon Young, as our tracker shows.

Pirates Avoid Arbitration With Joel Hanrahan

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 9:26am CDT

The Pirates announced they've agreed to terms on a one-year deal with closer Joel Hanrahan, tweets MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The deal is worth $4.1MM, tweets ESPN's Keith Law. The righty can earn an additional $10K for 40 and 45 games finished and $15K each for 50 and 60 games finished, MLBTR has learned. Hanrahan, a client of Reynolds Sports Management, projected for a $4MM salary according to Matt Swartz. He was arbitration eligible for the second time after earning $1.4MM in 2011.

Hanrahan, a daily MLB Trade Rumors reader, told Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in late December that a multiyear contract had not been brought up.

Having signed relievers Jason Grilli and Chris Resop as well, the Pirates still have Garrett Jones, Jeff Karstens, Casey McGehee, Evan Meek, and Charlie Morton on the docket, as our arbitration tracker shows.

Yankees May Have Limited DH Funds

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 9:17am CDT

The Yankees are telling people they only have $1-2MM for their open designated hitter spot, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Heyman feels that such a budget would take them out of the running for Carlos Pena and most likely Johnny Damon. According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, Yankees insiders said they haven't had time to fully consider DH options, having traded Jesus Montero so recently. Martino says the Yankees "won't spend lavishly" on a DH, especially with plenty of internal candidates for a potential timeshare.

No one would be surprised if the Yankees find a few million bucks in the couch cushions for someone like Pena. I can't see why Damon, another Scott Boras client, would merit much more than $2MM though.

Rangers, Indians Looking At Ryan Spilborghs

By Tim Dierkes | January 16, 2012 at 7:39am CDT

The Rangers and Indians are looking at free agent outfielder Ryan Spilborghs, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The 32-year-old outfielder was non-tendered by the Rockies about a month ago.

Spilborghs scuffled to a .210/.283/.305 line in 2011. Prior to that, his career line was a healthy .281/.354/.440. A right-handed hitter, Spilborghs has faced lefties in 40% of his career plate appearances and has done well against them. He's capable of playing all three outfield positions.

With the Rangers, Spilborghs would make a good platoon partner for David Murphy in left field, if the Rangers are to use Josh Hamilton in center. Shelley Duncan or Aaron Cunningham could similarly match up with Michael Brantley for the Indians, though Duncan may be utilized at first base. Plus, neither Hamilton nor Grady Sizemore seem likely to play 150 games, so outfield depth takes on added importance for both clubs.

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