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Minor Moves: Orioles, Clement, Erbe, Quiroz, Red Sox

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Here are the latest minor signings from around the league…

  • The Orioles added independent league pitchers Logan Mahon and Chase Johnson on minor league deals, according to CSNBaltimore's Rich Dubroff and the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo A. Encina, respectively (Twitter links).
  • The Giants also added an independent league arm today, signing Omar Javier to a minor league deal, tweets Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Omar hasn't pitched in affiliated ball since 2009 with the Cardinals.
  • The Twins have signed former No. 3 overall pick Jeff Clement to a minor league deal, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Clement, 29, appeared on Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list from 2006-08 and has a career .280/.359/.493 line at Triple-A. However, he's failed to produce in four separate Major League stints between the Mariners and Pirates.
  • ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Phillies have signed righty Brandon Erbe to a minor league deal. The 24-year-old was a third-round selection by the Orioles back in 2005 and was once a highly regarded prospect. He's battled a series of shoulder injuries and pitched to a 6.82 ERA in 30 1/3 innings for Baltimore's Class-A Advanced affiliate in 2012.
  • Stark also reports that the Giants have signed minor league catcher Guillermo Quiroz to a minor league contract (Twitter link). The former top prospect is now 30 years old and carries with him a .260/.323/.424 batting line over parts of nine Triple-A seasons. He's managed just a .538 OPS in 282 Major League plate appearances.
  • The Red Sox have signed right-handers David Carpenter, Sandy Rosario and Jose De La Torre to minor league deals, according to MLB.com's Evan Drellich. Carpenter appeared in 32 1/3 innings for the Blue Jays and Astros in 2012 but posted an 8.07 ERA. The 27-year-old Rosario has a career 3.48 ERA and 4.4 K/BB ratio in the minors but has barely pitched above the Double-A level. De La Torre was acquired from the Indians for Brent Lillibridge.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros have signed righties Edgar Gonzalez and Jose Valdez to minor league contracts. Gonzalez, 29, has a 5.84 ERA over 350 career innings between the Diamondbacks, Rockies and Astros. Valdez hurled 12 innings for Houston last year after spending the past three seasons in their farm system. He has an impressive 103 strikeouts in 83 2/3 career Triple-A innings. McTaggart has the breakdown of each contract in his piece, including out clauses that allow Valdez to pursue opportunities in Japan.

Olney On Josh Hamilton

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MLB officials don’t have a clear sense of where Josh Hamilton will sign, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes. Hamilton, who is said to be looking for Prince Fielder money, could end up with the Brewers, Rangers, Red Sox, Mariners or Orioles in the view of Olney’s sources. Here are some details from the ESPN.com column:

  • The Brewers could end up signing Hamilton, but probably not if the bidding escalates toward $214MM, the amount Fielder obtained a year ago.
  • Some agents think offering four years could help get a deal done. "Nobody is giving him more than four years," one agent told Olney. 
  • Though some within the Rangers organization grew frustrated with Hamilton this past season, he could return to Texas. They’ll offer him a high annual salary, but probably won’t commit long term, Olney reports. Some speculate Hamilton could cost more than $25MM per season on a relatively short-term deal. 
  • Rival executives view the Mariners as desperate this winter, Olney writes. Hamilton would be a good fit in Seattle’s lineup, but the Mariners might have to outbid others to complete a deal. 
  • Olney doubts the Orioles will get seriously involved in the Hamilton sweepstakes and guesses that the outfielder will ultimately return to the Rangers.

East Notes: Yankees, Wright, Mets, Orioles, Hamilton

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While the Yankees get a lot of flack for stockpiling veterans, Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't believe that having an older team is inherently problematic.  Older players can often clog things up for promising young players but in the Yankees' case, veterans are actually helping the club stall for time as they wait for Michael Pineda or Manuel Banuelos to bounce back from arm surgeries.  Here's more out of the AL and NL East..

  • Ken Davidoff of the New York Post writes that the Mets can't overspend on David Wright or R.A. Dickey just to satisfy fans.  The Mets are understandably more open to a contract extension for Wright than they are for Dickey and the third baseman's value is much easier to peg.  Wright and the Mets can start from the Nationals' deal with Ryan Zimmerman (six-years, $100MM) while there's no easy comparison for a 38-year-old knuckleballer at Dickey's level.
  • Orioles Executive Vice President Dan Duquette told Jim Bowden of SiriusXM (via Twitter) that the club should not be expected to go after "high ticket" acquisitions this winter and doesn't see them doing anything as major as the Blue Jays' mega-deal.  The O's have been mentioned as a player for Josh Hamilton but ESPN.com's Buster Olney recently cautioned that they're not expected to be overly aggressive in their pursuit of him.
  • However, the Baltimore exec wouldn't completely rule out a play for Hamilton or Zack Greinke, Bowden tweets.  However, it doesn't seem like they plan on being serious contenders for either free agent given their financial constraints and Duquette's other comments in the interview.
  • Also from the SiriusXM interview (transcript provided by Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com), Duquette discussed Friday's deadline to offer arbitration to Mark Reynolds. "If we bring back Mark Reynolds, that will help our ballclub," Duquette said. "If we don't bring back Mark Reynolds, I know we have some people in-house that are very capable of doing that job." On Thanksgiving, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes named Reynolds a non-tender candidate.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Cafardo On Stanton, Swisher, Red Sox, Sizemore

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe opines that the Red Sox should go after a Josh Hamilton or Joe Mauer.  Boston has made it clear that they are focused on being fiscally responsible and only targeting good value deals, but a strong bat would help elevate the club's lineup and energize the fan base.  Here's more from today's column..

  • The Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles, Cubs, and many more are inquiring on rightfielder Giancarlo Stanton, a major league source tells Cafardo.  However, commissioner Bud Selig is watching the situation closely after the club's colossal salary dump in the Blue Jays deal.  He didn't move to block that trade, but he may not be fond of a deal for the Marlins’ biggest draw. 
  • The Red Sox have had ongoing negotiations with Nick Swisher and his agents.  The outfielder, who has at least seven teams interested in him this winter, would serve as a more than adequate replacement for Cody Ross.
  • Agent Joe Urbon tells Cafardo that all is quiet on Grady Sizemore.  The 30-year-old has bad knees  but there is hope that he can turn the corner.  The agent says his client will play again, but it seems he would have to come in on a minor league/major league deal with incentives, similar to Jason Bay.
  • Carlos Pena may have to accept being a platoon player for a team like the Red Sox after a weak offensive campaign.  The Sox still haven't closed the door on fellow first baseman James Loney, who offers strong defense but lacks the big bat potential of a player like Pena.

AL East Notes: Hale, Swisher, Kuroda, Orioles

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It was on this day in 1977 that Rich "Goose" Gossage signed a six-year, $2.75MM free agent contract with the Yankees.  The Goose lived up to that then-exorbitant deal, posting a 2.10 ERA and saving 150 games over those six seasons, notching three top-five finishes in Cy Young Award voting and helping New York win the 1978 World Series.  Gossage went into the Hall Of Fame as a Yankee in 2008.

Here's the latest from New York and elsewhere in the AL East…

  • DeMarlo Hale is "likely" going to be the Blue Jays' next bench coach, a source tells MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link).  Hale served as the Orioles' third base coach in 2012 and was interviewed as a managerial candidate by the Jays two years ago before Toronto hired John Farrell.  Hale's contract may be for three years, reports MASNsports.com's Roch Kubatko.
  • The Red Sox have Nick Swisher "on their radar," a source tells George A. King III of the New York Post.  At least seven teams are known to be interested in Swisher, whose ability to switch-hit and play both first base and right field is a boon to many clubs.  King hears from an industry source who believes Swisher could find a four-year, $60MM contract, though with that many teams and big markets in the running, it wouldn't surprise me to see that number jump to between $65-$70MM in guaranteed money.
  • Other teams were offering Hiroki Kuroda more expensive and longer-term deals with player options than the one-year, $15MM contract he signed with the Yankees, reports Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York.  Kuroda took the relatively smaller deal with New York due to his familiarity with the city and his desire to keep his options open next winter for a possible return to Japan.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link) notes that Kuroda has left money on the table for each of the four contracts he's signed in his Major League career.    
  • The Orioles were interested in Jonny Gomes but are "not too heartbroken" that Gomes has signed with Boston, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun.  The O's prefer to use the money earmarked for Gomes to re-sign Nate McLouth instead.
  • In AL East news from earlier today, Josh Johnson's agent Matt Sosnick discussed the possibility of his client signing an extension with the Blue Jays.

Non-Tender Candidate: Mark Reynolds

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The Orioles declined an $11.5MM club option on corner infielder Mark Reynolds at the end of October, and as we approach next week's non-tender deadline they have to make another decision on him.  With less than six years of big league service time, Reynolds remains under the team's control as an arbitration eligible player.  Matt Swartz's arbitration projections have Reynolds at $8.9MM for 2013 if tendered a contract, but that dollar range still might be too high for the O's.

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Speaking to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com after his option was declined, Reynolds expressed a desire to return to the Orioles in 2013.  Still, he intends to survey the marketplace if the Orioles decide to cut him loose a week from Friday.  Reynolds carries a poor reputation and UZR as a third baseman, but he seems to have settled in as a full-time first baseman this year.  It's probably fair to say he's become close to an average defensive first baseman.

That brings us to Reynolds' bat.  Clearly, the 29-year-old is a source of right-handed power.  He owns a .475 career slugging percentage and is generally good for 30 home runs over 600 plate appearances.  Reynolds also fans in about a third of his plate appearances, making him one of the game's foremost strikeout artists.  Overall, his bat is a positive, but the low .200s batting average and league-leading whiff total is hard to stomach.

A one-year, $9MM deal would be a reasonable commitment for Reynolds, in light of Carlos Pena receiving more than that two years ago from the Cubs.  Despite the recent acclaim, however, Reynolds does not carry the defensive reputation Pena did.  I expect the Orioles to go in a different direction at first base, allowing Reynolds to explore free agency.  He may receive some two-year offers, and as we saw with Melky Cabrera, sometimes a player decides a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  If Reynolds prefers a bigger risk and potential long-term reward, he can stick to a one-year deal with no option and hope to hit .250 with 35 home runs while continuing to improve his defensive reputation.  That type of season would allow him to cash in a year from now.  Teams such as the Mariners and Indians, who have been linked to Kevin Youkilis, could consider Reynolds as a backup plan at first base this offseason.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Presswire.

AL East Notes: Robinson, Martin, Yankees

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On this date in 1957, Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle won the AL MVP, narrowly edging out Ted Williams of the Red Sox for the award. Williams had superior numbers on a per at bat basis, but Mantle played in more games, had more wins above replacement and the Yankees won the pennant. Here are today's AL East links…

Olney On Orioles, Red Sox, Kazmir, Heisey

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Agents and players have considerably more interest in Baltimore as a potential destination now that the Orioles are viewed as a contender, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports. "It's winning," one agent told Olney. "Period.” Some free agents now list the Orioles as a team they’d like to join. Here are more notes from Olney, starting in Baltimore…

  • The Orioles are looking for starting pitching and hope to bring Joe Saunders back. Jeremy Guthrie’s three-year, $25MM contract could affect Saunders’ asking price, as Olney points out. 
  • While the Orioles have talked about adding a bat, they’re not expected to be particularly aggressive about free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton.
  • The Marlins, Indians and Pirates are among the teams that could have trouble luring free agents even if they’re offering competitive salaries.
  • One AL GM credits the Red Sox for building a team that plays well in Fenway Park.
  • Earlier in the offseason there had been talk that the SoftBank Hawks, the Japanese team that recently agreed to sign Bryan LaHair, could pursue veteran free agents such as Mike Napoli or Kevin Youkilis.
  • A number of teams, including the Indians, are scouting left-hander Scott Kazmir, Olney writes. The Astros had some interest in Kazmir during the regular season.
  • Olney suggests arbitration eligible players such as Chris Heisey and A.J. Ellis could be candidates for two or three-year extensions this winter.

Mariners Acquire Robert Andino

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The Mariners announced that they acquired utility player Robert Andino from the Orioles for outfielder Trayvon Robinson. Seattle's 40-man roster now has three open spots, while Baltimore's roster is full.

“The addition of Robert Andino gives us some experienced infield depth with a player who has played multiple positions” GM Jack Zduriencik said. “With Robert having Major League and playoff experience and still relatively young, we thought that it made sense to make this trade and let him come in and compete.” 

Andino, 28, appeared in 127 games for the Orioles in 2012, playing second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field. He posted a .211/.283/.305 batting line in 431 plate appearances. However, with a projected salary of $1.8MM, his roster spot seemed less than secure after the Orioles acquired Alexi Casilla.

The Mariners acquired Robinson in the three-team trade that sent Erik Bedard to Boston in 2011. He appeared in 46 games for the Mariners in 2012, posting a .221/.294/.324 batting line in 164 plate appearances as a left fielder. Both Robinson and Andino are out of options, according to Roch Kubatko ‏of MASNsports.com (on Twitter).

Fujikawa Meets With Five MLB Clubs

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Monday: According to Japanese media reports, Fujikawa met with the Angels, Dodgers and Orioles over the weekend (per Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times). DiGiovanna adds that Angels GM Jerry Dipoto wouldn't comment on contract negotiations, nor would he divulge whether or not he envisions Fujikawa as a setup man or closer.

Not surprisingly, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that Fujikawa is looking for a multiyear commitment wherever he signs (Twitter link).

Saturday: Right-hander Kyuji Fujikawa started meeting with MLB clubs and touring their facilities this past week, reports Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News. He's already visited the Diamondbacks and Cubs and is expected to meet with both the Dodgers and Angels as well. It's unclear if he'll meet with the Rangers on this trip.

Fujikawa, 32, has been the top closer in Japan for nearly a decade and is a true free agent, meaning he won't have to go through the posting process. The Red Sox have expressed some interest in the right-hander in addition to those five clubs above. Tim Dierkes ranked Fujikawa as the 34th best free agent available on his Top 50 Free Agents List, predicting he would sign with the Angels.

MLBTR's Steve Adams contributed to this post.

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