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Orioles Designate Kyle Hudson For Assignment

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The Orioles announced they've designated outfielder Kyle Hudson for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot for newly-signed lefty Wei-Ying Chen.

In the minors Hudson hit .296/.375/.336 in 485 plate appearances, ascending from High-A to the Majors with stops at each level along the way.  Hudson, 25, played mostly center and left field.  In a chat yesterday, Baseball America's Will Lingo wrote that the speedy Hudson is "a premium athlete, but he's still refining his baseball skills, particularly his swing."

Orioles Re-Sign Willie Eyre

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The Orioles re-signed righty reliever Willie Eyre to a minor league deal with a spring training invite, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.  The Orioles had designated Eyre for assignment upon acquiring Dana Eveland in December, and non-tendered him a few days later.

Eyre, a 33-year-old Sosnick Cobbe client, had 18 1/3 big league innings in 2011.  For the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate, he posted a 3.48 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, and 0.73 HR/9 in 62 innings.

Latest On Brad Lidge

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7:20pm: "At this point I probably could have taken some offers," said Lidge to MLB.com's Paul Hagen, who notes that the right-hander hopes to make a decision soon. "At the same time, they weren't quite right for me … There are a lot of teams that want you to be there in case their young guys doesn't do well — to be a setup guy. And that's great. We'll kind of see how that plays out. That might be what I have to do."

11:43am: The Phillies remain in touch with Brad Lidge and the Angels are on the periphery, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The Rockies are not on Lidge, he adds.

Lidge, 35, posted a 1.40 ERA, 10.7 K/9, 6.1 BB/9, and 57.4% groundball rate with no home runs allowed in 19 1/3 innings for the Phillies last year.  His season began in July after recovery from a shoulder injury, and the former flamethrower was down to 89 miles per hour for his average fastball.

Barry Larkin Elected To Hall Of Fame

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Shortstop Barry Larkin was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame today with 86% of the vote, announced the Baseball Writers Association of America.  Larkin is the lone inductee of 2012.

Larkin played his entire 19-season career with the Reds, with a .295/.371/.444 line and 198 home runs across 9,057 plate appearances.  He won the NL MVP in 1995, made a dozen All-Star appearances, and won three Gold Gloves.  FanGraphs pegs his career Wins Above Replacement at 70.6.

Latest On Norichika Aoki

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Norichika Aoki's workout for the Brewers yesterday in Phoenix lasted 75 minutes, reports Nikkan Sports as translated by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman.  GM Doug Melvin, manager Ron Roenicke, and owner Mark Attanasio were among those present, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  "It was a good workout. He's probably the kind of player you'd expect, coming from Japan," said Melvin.

The Brewers have until 4pm central time on January 17th to sign Aoki, or else the Yakult Swallows must refund the $2.5MM posting fee.  The Brewers are still deciding whether to make an offer.  The Brewers conducted a physical exam for Aoki this morning to buy themselves some time, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.

Aoki, a 30-year-old outfielder, hit .292/.358/.360 for the Swallows this year and would assume a bench role for Milwaukee.

Cubs Close To Deal With Paul Maholm

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11:26am: The Cubs are close on Maholm, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

10:59am: The Cubs and free agent lefty Paul Maholm are trying to work out an agreement, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.  Maholm has been linked to several other suitors this offseason, but most have since added starters.

The Cubs' current projected rotation has Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster, Chris Volstad, Travis Wood, and Randy Wells, perhaps with Andy Sonnanstine and Casey Coleman in the mix for the fifth starter job.  In theory, signing Maholm could give the Cubs the depth to move Garza, even if Maholm is more of a back-end guy.

Kuroda To Remain In MLB For 2012

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Hiroki Kuroda has informed the Hiroshima Carp he intends to pitch in the Major Leagues again in 2012, according to the Jiji Press and other Japanese outlets, as translated by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.  Newman adds that "Masatoshi Kimura of the Chugoku Shimbun reports that Kuroda is expected to decide on a destination within the next couple of days."

A few days ago, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweeted that Kuroda sought a one-year deal in the $13-14MM range.  The Yankees and Red Sox are among the possibilities, but both AL East superpowers seem gunshy of his asking price.

Rangers Offering “Dice-K Money” To Darvish

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The Rangers are offering "Dice-K money" to Yu Darvish, sources tell Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, and there's no evidence a deal is close.  Daisuke Matsuzaka received a six-year, $52MM deal from the Red Sox about five years ago.  Heyman says it's not clear whether the Rangers' offer to Darvish is for five or six years.  The deadline to work out a deal is January 18th at 4pm central time.  The Rangers won the exclusive right to negotiate with Darvish for $51,703,411, which would be returned to them from the Nippon Ham Fighters if they fail to reach an agreement with Darvish.

In October, I polled five agents and one team executive and most predicted a five or six-year deal in the $72-75MM range for Darvish.

Blue Jays Designate Mark Teahen For Assignment

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The Blue Jays designated third baseman Mark Teahen for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for Darren Oliver, announced the team.

The Jays acquired Teahen from the White Sox as part of a salary dump, and they'll be assuming the $5.5MM left on his contract for 2012.  The 30-year-old hit .200/.273/.300 in 177 plate appearances last year, playing the infield and outfield corners.

Teahen was a big component of the 2004 trade that sent Carlos Beltran to the Astros.  He couldn't sustain a strong partial season in 2006 for the Royals, and was traded to the White Sox in November of '09.  A few months later the Sox signed him to a surprising three-year, $14MM extension.

Position Analysis For The 2013 Free Agent Class

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Plenty has been written about the potential starting pitching depth of the 2013 free agent class, which could include Matt Cain, Cole Hamels, Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez, Brandon McCarthy, and more.  But how does next offseason's free agent market look for position players?

Catcher

This could be the deepest free agent catching class in a long time.  Yadier Molina will set the market, while Chris Iannetta, Russell Martin, Miguel Montero, Mike Napoli, A.J. Pierzynski, and Yorvit Torrealba join him.  It's rare to find offense at catcher, but there is plenty in this group.  Napoli and Molina seem most likely to be extended prior to reaching the open market.

First basemen

Napoli and Lance Berkman head up the group, with second tier guys like Aubrey Huff, Adam LaRoche, Carlos Lee, and James Loney also in the mix.  They'll be joined by Casey Kotchman, Carlos Pena, and Derrek Lee if they sign one-year deals.  Overall, there's a case to be made for a non-contender to sign Prince Fielder if they're looking forward to this group.

Second basemen

Howie Kendrick signed an extension over the weekend.  If Brandon Phillips follows suit and obvious options are picked up on Robinson Cano and Ian Kinsler, the best available might be Kelly Johnson, Maicer Izturis, and Freddy Sanchez. 

Shortstops

Erick Aybar is the best option, but the Angels could extend him too.  Stephen Drew could get a big contract with a healthy season, while Marco Scutaro and Alex Gonzalez will be looking for everyday jobs.

Third basemen

The third base market may be bleak once again.  David Wright could be a free agent after the 2012 season if he's traded before it ends and chooses to void a 2013 option, or if the Mets simply decline the $16MM option.  Kevin Youkilis' $13MM option will probably be exercised.  Additionally, Scott Rolen and Placido Polanco are likely free agents.

Left fielders

Josh Hamilton is the big name.  His contract will depend heavily on his 2012 season.  Delmon Young will have age on his side at 27 years old.  Several others who are currently penciled in at center or right field will be options in left.

Center fielders

Hamilton can play some center, but this is a deep group with Michael Bourn, B.J. Upton, Shane Victorino, Melky Cabrera, Marlon Byrd, Grady Sizemore, and Angel Pagan. 

Right fielders

Andre Ethier, Carlos Quentin, and Nick Swisher will be seeking big paydays.  Ichiro Suzuki and Torii Hunter will represent the old guard.

Designated hitters

David Ortiz will again be the best available; we'll see if he gets the equivalent of an arbitration offer from the Red Sox.  Edwin Encarnacion could be interesting, while Bobby Abreu and Travis Hafner will be fighting for regular work. 

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