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Quick Hits: Diaz, Tatis, Rhodes, Dodgers

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It's hard to top January 31 when it comes to notable baseball birthdays.  Three of the game's biggest legends were born on this day: Nolan Ryan (celebrating his 66th birthday), "Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks (his 82nd) and the late Jackie Robinson, who was born in 1919 in Cairo, Georgia.  Here are some news items from around the majors as we head into February…

  • The Tigers have "mild interest" in Cuban shortstop prospect Aledmys Diaz, George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press reports.  At least ten teams (including the Cardinals, Twins and Athletics) are known to be interested in Diaz, though Major League Baseball is is investigating whether Diaz is younger than his alleged age of 23 years old.
  • Also from Sipple, it seems as if the Tigers will keep Jhonny Peralta, despite some trade rumors surrounding the shortstop this winter.
  • The Orioles watched left-hander Arthur Rhodes throw today at Camden Yards, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (Twitter link).  The 43-year-old Rhodes didn't pitch in 2012 but is looking to continue his 20-year Major League career.  Rhodes was drafted by the O's in 1988, played for the team from 1991-99 and currently lives in Baltimore.
  • The Orioles also recently worked out utilityman Fernando Tatis, Connolly tweets.  Tatis hasn't played in the majors since 2010 when he made 72 plate appearances for the Mets before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.  Tatis, 38, played for the Orioles in 2006 and has also suited up for the Mets, Expos, Cardinals and Rangers during his 11-year career.
  • The Dodgers could be looking to trade from its starting pitching depth, but Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times suggests the team should hang onto all eight starters given how many of them are battling injury problems.
  • The Dodgers' free-spending ways could come back to haunt them later in the decade, ESPN's Dan Szymborski writes (Insider subscription required).  It also puts pressure on the team to win sooner rather than later: "A disappointing year or two, and it wouldn't be shocking if the biggest member of the [ownership] consortium started to find the guaranteed cash from the TV contract a lot more appealing than playing high-stakes fantasy baseball."
  • ESPN Chicago's Jon Greenberg talks to sabermetrician Tom Tango, who has worked as a consultant to several teams but is now working exclusively for the Cubs.
  • MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith and Jason Martinez of MLB Depth Charts discussed the Braves, the Rays, Shaun Marcum and Alex Rodriguez on the latest edition of the Rosters & Rumblings podcast.

AL East Notes: Rodney, Orioles, Lohse, Yankees

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The Red Sox and Yankees each added a veteran bat today, as Lyle Overbay agreed to a deal with Boston and Travis Hafner came to terms with the Bronx Bombers. Here are some more items from around the AL East…

  • Dan Lozano, Fernando Rodney's agent, said his client was misquoted in a recent interview with Dominican newspaper El Dia, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.  El Dia reported on Wednesday that Rodney was close to signing a two-year extension with the Rays but Lozano said that no talks have taken place between the two sides.  Rodney is set to make $2.5MM in 2013, his last year under contract with Tampa Bay.
  • The Orioles are looking to add relief pitching and "are keeping tabs on some relievers that have yet to sign," The Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly reports.
  • Also from Connolly, he hears the Orioles would be interested in Kyle Lohse if the veteran's price significantly dropped.  It may be a longshot, as Connolly says the O's don't want to lose the first-round draft pick it would take to sign Lohse and even if Lohse was open to a one-year contract, he likely wouldn't sign such a deal in the AL East.
  • ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand fields several Alex Rodriguez questions in an online fan chat, as well as other Yankees topics like Curtis Granderson trade talk and Robinson Cano's future in the Bronx.
  • The Blue Jays aren't likely to make any more additions this offseason aside from minor league depth signings, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm as part of a reader mailbag.
  • An AL East talent evaluator breaks down the division's teams with ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes.

Quick Hits: Headley, Wells, Lowe, A-Rod, Mariners

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Earlier tonight, the Padres avoided arbitration with Chase Headley by agreeing to a one-year, $8.575MM deal.  The third baseman is under team control through 2015 and General Manager Josh Byrnes started dialogue with Headley's representatives about a contract extension earlier this winter, writes MLB.com's Corey Brock.  However, those talks have been tabled for now.  "We couldn't frame it up where it made sense for both sides," Byrnes said.  In today's poll, nearly 70% of MLBTR readers said that it would make sense to lock Headley up long-term.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • The Dodgers, Blue Jays, Angels, Tigers, Orioles, Brewers, and Athletics were in Peoria, Arizona today to watch Kip Wells, Mark Lowe, and Ryan Rowland-Smith throw, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  Wells, 35, made seven starts for the Padres last season and posted a 4.58 ERA with 20 walks and 19 strikeouts.
  • The Yankees can dream about getting out from under Alex Rodriguez's contract, but there is very little chance of it happening, writes David Waldstein of the New York Times.  Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports noted that the Yankees could pay just 15% of the $114MM owed to A-Rod if his hip injury is diagnosed as career-ending and he misses the entire season.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (video link) has a gut feeling that aces Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez, and Justin Verlander will work out new contracts with their respective clubs before they get the chance to hit the open market.
  • The Mariners need to add a dependable starting pitcher, opines Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  Baker suggests that the M's should try and swing a trade for the Dodgers' Chris Capuano by sending Franklin Gutierrez back to the club where he started his pro baseball career.

Minor Moves: LaRoche, Delcarmen, Brackman

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We'll track the day's minor moves here…

  • The Blue Jays announced that they signed infielder Andy LaRoche to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. LaRoche, who last appeared at the MLB level with the 2011 A's, posted a .251/.335/.422 batting line at Triple-A in 2012.
  • The Orioles signed relievers Rob Delaney and Manny Delcarmen and outfielder Chris Pettit to minor league deals, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). Delcarmen, 30, last pitched at the MLB level in 2010 with the Red Sox and Rockies. He pitched for the Yankees' top affiliate in 2012, posting a 4.42 ERA with 9.3 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9 in 57 innings. The 28-year-old Delaney pitched in four games for the 2011 Rays and spent the 2012 season with the Marlins' Triple-A team, posting a 2.29 ERA in 63 innings. Pettit played briefly for the Angels in 2009 and 2011. The right-handed hitting 28-year-old posted a .282/.354/.454 batting line in the upper minors this past season.
  • The White Sox signed right-hander Andrew Brackman, Eddy reports (on Twitter). The former first round pick posted a 6.71 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 in the Reds' minor league system last year.

Quick Hits: Saunders, White Sox, Konerko, Prospects

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Rangers shortstop Jurickson Profar tops MLB.com's list of the top 100 prospects in baseball for 2013.  Profar has been the subject of many trade rumors this winter but the Rangers are unwilling to move him, for good reason given his high ceiling.  Of the six prospects atop MLB.com's list, two (Wil Myers and Travis d'Arnaud) were dealt to new teams this offseason and another (Taijuan Walker) would have been on the move were it not for Justin Upton's no-trade clause.

Here are some items from around the Majors…

  • Joe Saunders has been offered a two-year deal worth roughly $15MM from an unknown team, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports, though his sources aren't directly involved in the negotiations.  The Orioles aren't the mystery team, as Baltimore would prefer to sign Saunders to a one-year deal with a team option for the second year.  Connolly says the O's are still interested in Saunders despite their recent agreement with Jair Jurrjens.  Besides the O's, the Mariners and Twins have also been linked to Saunders this winter, and the Twins have offered Saunders a one-year deal.
  • The White Sox are still looking for a left-handed hitter, MLB.com Scott Merkin tweets.  Such a player is likely to be a platooner or bench depth at this point in the offseason.
  • Paul Konerko tells CSN Chicago's Chuck Garfien that his on-field performance won't be the key factor if he decides to retire after the 2013 season.  "Don't look at the numbers, that if things are going well [in 2013], that necessarily means I would play [after this season]. And the reverse of that is true, too," Konerko said.  It was almost a year ago that Konerko told Garfien that he was pondering retirement once his contract is up.
  • It's hard to find ace-level pitching available in a trade, but Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal cites Yovani Gallardo, Ian Kennedy and Jarrod Parker as pitchers who could be on the block should their teams fall out of contention next season.  Parker may seem like a premature trade target but MacPherson notes that "the Athletics have a history of trading young pitchers for even younger pitchers."
  • The Rangers have signed the most international prospects that appear in Baseball America's 2013 Prospect Handbook, B-A's Ben Badler writes.  Fifteen international players originally signed by the Rangers are ranked either among their own top 30 prospects or in the top-30 lists of other teams, as determined by Baseball America.  At the bottom of the list are the Astros, who have just two international signings ranked.

Minor Moves: Lopez, Waldrop, Zagurski, Dickerson

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We'll track the day's minor moves here…

  • The Padres have signed left-hander Arturo Lopez to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports (Twitter link).  Lopez made four relief appearances for the Padres in 2009 and has also pitched in the Mets' and Dodgers' farm systems.  The 29-year-old southpaw has spent the last two seasons pitching in the Mexican League.
  • The Pirates signed right-hander Kyle Waldrop to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports (via Twitter).  Waldrop appeared in 24 games as a reliever for the Twins over the last two seasons and posted a 3.62 ERA over 32 1/3 career innings.  Waldrop was outrighted off Minnesota's 40-man roster in October.
  • The Pirates also signed left-hander Mike Zagurski to a minor league deal that contains an invite to Spring Training.  The deal was announced by the team in December.  Zagurski made 45 appearances out of the bullpen for the Diamondbacks in 2012, posting a 5.54 ERA, an 8.2 K/9 and a 1.79 K/BB over 37 1/3 innings.
  • The Orioles announced that they signed outfielder Chris Dickerson to a minor league contract that includes an invitation to Spring Training (Twitter link). The 30-year-old appeared in 25 games for the Yankees in 2012, playing all three outfield positions. He spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .316/.417/.515 batting line in 321 plate appearances.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Cafardo On Mets, Bourn, Abreu, Red Sox, Mahay

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There were baseball people this winter who pleaded with their teams to go after B.J. Upton as a free agent and to trade for his younger brother, Justin Upton.  However, there also were those who said “over my dead body” would they have either, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  In fact, officials in one AL East organization were nearly unanimous in the opinion that neither Upton was a fit for them.  The Braves obviously didn't share that view and will now enter 2013 with a remarkably athletic lineup thanks to the Upton brothers.  Here's more from today's column..

  • While Cafardo hears that the Mets' interest in Michael Bourn is minimal, that might be enough for them to land him eventually.  Many baseball people are amazed that Bourn is the odd man out in free agency. The Mets, Mariners, and possibly Orioles are waiting for a bargain deal and one AL manager reasoned that if a team can get him on a one-year deal, they might juggle things around to make it happen.
  • The Red Sox were among the teams that tried out Bobby Abreu. but sources say the Red Sox are unlikely to pursue him as the backup first baseman/outfielder that they’re looking for.
  • Left-hander Ron Mahay has decided to call it a career.  The 41-year-old says that he's now looking to get into coaching or managing.  Mahay last appeared in the majors with the Twins in 2010.  For his career, the reliever posted a 3.83 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 across 14 seasons.
  • The Cubs' Alfonso Soriano is on the trading block and could still be moved before spring training, as teams like the Orioles and Rangers look to make last-minute upgrades. 
  • The Angels had some hope that Vernon Wells could be moved this winter, but those odds decreased after the Phillies signed Delmon Young.  “I think people will look back on his career and wonder, how could a guy who came into the league with so much ability let this happen?” said an American League scout who once saw Wells as one of the most talented players in baseball.

Orioles Agree To Sign Jair Jurrjens

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The Orioles have agreed to sign Jair Jurrjens to a one-year, $1.5MM Major League contract that could be worth as much as $4MM with incentives, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports.  Jurrjens is represented by the Boras Corporation.

Jurrjens, who turns 27 next week, was non-tendered by the Braves following a rough 2012 season that saw him post a 6.89 ERA, a 13.4 H/9, 19 strikeouts and 18 walks in over 48 1/3 innings.  The right-hander is under team control through the 2014 season and is just one year removed from an All-Star season in 2011, though he was plagued with injuries and a loss of form in the second half of that season.

The O's were rumored to be looking to add some veteran depth (such as Joe Saunders) to their young rotation and the Jurrjens signing could prove to be a coup if he regains his health and old form.  The Pirates, Twins, Rockies and Royals had all shown interest in Jurrjens this offseason.

AL East Notes: Cherington, Upton, Kubel, Rays

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Pedro Martinez is returning to the Red Sox as a special assistant to GM Ben Cherington, the club announced today.  The future Hall-of-Famer told reporters (including MLB.com's Ian Browne) that he will be helping instruct the organization's pitchers during Spring Training and throughout the season.  "I hope to be a friend to most of those kids that probably have some questions or if they have uncertainties about what they're going to be facing," Martinez said. "What kind of things they should be aware of? I think I'm very well prepared and armed to actually help them with it."

Here are some more items from around the AL East…

  • In an interview on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan show (partial transcript here), Cherington said the Red Sox addressed a number of weaknesses over the winter and he thinks the Red Sox can contend.  "Maybe we didn’t make the one headline move or haven’t to this point…but I do think we’ve added strength to a lot of different areas to the roster, a lot of areas we had holes in," Cherington said.  He also defended Boston's ownership against recent criticisms from ex-manager Terry Francona.
  • The Orioles had interest in Justin Upton but weren't prepared to move top prospects like Manny Machado or Dylan Bundy in return, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports.
  • Connolly also outlined the talks between the Orioles and Diamondbacks about Jason Kubel, saying that the O's never had more than "lukewarm" interest in Kubel's services.  The Orioles felt they were Arizona's "backup plan" to trade an outfielder as the Snakes' preference was to swap Upton.
  • Rays owner Stuart Sternberg told Hillsborough County Commission officials that "Major League Baseball at this point no longer believes in the Tampa Bay area," reports Stephen Nohlgren of the Tampa Bay Times.  Sternberg reiterated his belief that a new stadium is needed to make his franchise viable and said he is committed to keeping the team in the Tampa area.  MLB released a statement today expressing disappointment in the Rays' attendance, saying, "The status quo is simply not sustainable."
  • Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos discussed the team's winter moves, plans for the upcoming season and more in an online chat with Toronto Sun readers.  Included is a nice compliment for MLB Trade Rumors, as Anthopoulos says he reads our website, "All the time, and I'd venture to say that almost every front office person in baseball does the same. Great site and great way to stay connected with what's happening."
  • The Yankees are running out of options if they want to add right-handed hitting outfield depth, opines Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog.

Michael Bourn Rumors: Thursday

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Suitors are starting to show up for Michael Bourn, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. The Mets, it appears, are one of them. They’re interested in Bourn, but they remain hesitant to meet his asking price and don’t want to surrender the 11th overall selection in the 2013 draft to complete a deal. Here are the latest Bourn-related rumors as the market for the center fielder picks up…

  • The Rangers aren't involved at all in the Bourn talks, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter). This leaves the Mets and Mariners as favorites for Bourn, Nightengale writes.

Earlier updates

  • Heyman suggests it’ll take a five-year deal worth $15MM or so per season to sign Bourn, a Scott Boras client. B.J. Upton obtained a five-year, $75.2MM contract that could be a comparable for Bourn’s next deal.
  • Bourn is an “outside possibility” for the Orioles, Heyman reports. The Cubs are thought to like Bourn “very much” and have some level of interest.
  • Heyman writes that at least one prominent Dodgers player contacted Bourn encouraging him to sign in Los Angeles. Braves players made similar calls, as did Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez. However, the Braves don’t need an outfielder now that they’ve traded for Justin Upton.
  • The Rangers seem like the best fit for Bourn assuming the Tigers don’t get involved, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick writes (on Twitter). However, it’s not certain how often the Rangers have been talking to Bourn, Heyman writes. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reported today that the Rangers don't expect to sign either Bourn or Kyle Lohse. The Rangers have been in talks with Boras, however.
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