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Quick Hits: Jaso, Orioles, Byrnes, Rivera

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Sunday evening linkage..

  • Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner takes a look at the newest member of the Mariners, John Jaso.  The M's traded pitcher Josh Lueke to the Rays for Jaso earlier this evening, and Cameron likes the move for Seattle.
  • The Orioles have hired Gary Rajsich of the Blue Jays to be the club's new amateur scouting director, an industry source told Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.  Rajsich, 57, has been with the Blue Jays since 2009 but spent most of his scouting career with Boston, where he worked with O's GM Dan Duquette.
  • Don Norcross of the San Diego Union-Tribune spent some time with Josh Byrnes and found that the recently-appointed Padres GM is extremely optimistic about the club's future.  When speaking to Norcross in his Petco Park office, Byrnes had one of his computer screens locked to MLBTradeRumors.
  • Yankees skipper Joe Girardi says that he isn't so sure that this will be Mariano Rivera's final season, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.  The closer will celebrate his 42nd birthday on Tuesday.
  • Bud Selig, the same commissioner who canceled the World Series in 1994 in order to crush the union, deserves props for seeing the error of his ways and dramatically changing them, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday.  However, Davidoff isn't a fan of the limits on amateur spending and doesn't see the point of HGH testing.
  • On the other hand, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald argues that the newly-implemented HGH testing is a striking example of how far the sport has come in recognizing its issues with performance-enhancing drugs.  
  • Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer likes that MLB will be adding an additional wild card team in each league.  The new system, he writes, puts an emphasis on winning the division, which only brings integrity to the 162-game season.

Minor Moves: Marrugo, Rohlinger, Sutil, Maldonado

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here.  News of these moves are courtesy of Matt Eddy of Baseball America unless indicated otherwise..

  • The Orioles signed 17-year-old Colombian right-hander Yeizer Marrugo to a deal with a $120K bonus, according to Ernesto Armenteros D. of El Universal (Spanish link) and passed along by Eddy.  In the El Universal story, O's scout Jorge Franco says that Marrugo's fastball topped out at 91 mph when they recently scouted him and the youngster has the talent to make it to the majors in five years.
  • The Phillies acquired right-hander Adam Worthington from the Diamondbacks as player to be named for left-hander Mike Zagurski.  The Phillies sent Zagurski to Arizona in a September trade.
  • Cubs outfielder Lou Montanez elected free agency after recently being outrighted off of the club's 40-man roster.
  • The Reds re-signed right-hander Chad Reineke after the pitcher elected free agency in October.  Reineke had a 3.84 ERA in 25 games (22 starts) with Triple-A Louisville in 2011.
  • The Rockies released shortstop Ryan Rohlinger.  Rohlinger hit .247/.353/.409 in 103 Triple-A games for Colorado and the Giants.
  • The Royals signed a pair of left-handers in Marlon Arias and Tommy Hottovy.  Arias spent seven years in the Dodgers system, but hasn't pitched domestically since becoming a free agent following the 2009 season.
  • The Marlins signed right-hander Robert Ray, who appeared in a handful of Major League games for the Blue Jays in 2009 and 2010.  They also re-signed catcher Luke Montz.
  • The Dodgers signed shorstop Luis Cruz.
  • The Diamondbacks signed shortstop Wladimir Sutil to a minor league deal, according to El Universal (Spanish link).  Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic confirmed the signing to MLBTR.
  • The Nationals have re-signed catcher Carlos Maldonado, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter).  The move was first reported by El Universal (Spanish link).  Maldonado, 32, hit .234/.361/.342 in 38 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season and spent four games on the Nats' varsity squad in 2011.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/11/minor-league-transactions-nov-15-21/

Cafardo On Lowrie, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Marlins

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe gives a list of suggestions for the Red Sox's offseason.  As they look for a solution in right field, Cafardo feels that the club should go after Michael Cuddyer with Carlos Beltran as a Plan B.  The BoSox are also looking for a pair of affordable starters and two interesting names that could be had in deals are Joe Saunders of the Diamondbacks and Francisco Liriano of the Twins.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • There were many scouts and GMs in the Dominican Republic recently and Jed Lowrie came up often as a possible shortstop/third base candidate.  Teams like his offense and are skeptical about his defense, but are more worried about his mental toughness and his ability to play through injury.  The 27-year-old may become a chip for the Red Sox in a deal.
  • The Astros are getting more and more inquiries about the availability of Wandy Rodriguez.  The Red Sox are one of the teams that have asked.
  • Scouts and GMs believe that the Athletics would deal left-hander Gio Gonzalez for the right price.  An NL talent evaluator noted that the 26-year-old would be at the top of a lot of teams' lists.
  • Baseball people we talked to seem to think that if the Marlins are thinking big, Jose Reyes is the most logical signing for them, with Hanley Ramirez shifting over to third.  Cafardo also wonders if the Brewers would explore signing with the likelihood of losing Prince Fielder.
  • Free agent David Ortiz is still very much in play with the Orioles.  O's GM Dan Duquette met with Ortiz’s agent, Fern Cuza, at the GM meetings.
  • Cafardo could envision Jason Varitek backing up Matt Wieters in Baltimore
  • The BoSox have considered former Mets GM Omar Minaya for a front office role, but nothing is official yet.

Orioles Notes: Reynolds, Tillman, Chen, Johnson

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Earlier this week we learned that the Orioles are close to a deal with Korean right-hander Chong Tae-Hyon and the pact should become official after he undergoes a physical.  Here's more on the O's..

AL East Notes: Orioles, Garcia, Rays, Blue Jays

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The Red Sox won’t be hiring their next manager today, but they made progress on the managerial front this week. Here’s the latest on Boston’s search and here are some updates on their division rivals…

  • Matt Klentak left the Orioles to be the Angels’ assistant GM because the chance to build a winner with Jerry Dipoto was too good to pass up, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. “This is a great opportunity,” Klentak said. “It has nothing to do with the team and the change in regime [in Baltimore].” 
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com says Freddy Garcia’s deal with the Yankees guarantees the right-hander $4MM and includes incentives (Twitter link). Garcia pitched for a $1.5MM base salary this past season but earned a raise with 146 2/3 innings of 3.62 ERA ball.
  • ESPN.com’s Buster Olney highlights some offseason needs for ten MLB teams. For example, the Rays will need to obtain a first baseman and/or a DH and the Blue Jays continue searching for a closer.

AL East Notes: Gio, Jones, Buchholz, Garcia

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Here's the latest from the AL East…

  • "Gio Gonzalez has been a name widely discussed internally" by the Red Sox, reports Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.  The Sox are "extremely high" on the Athletics left-hander.  We've also heard the Yankees and Marlins are interested in Gonzalez, though the A's haven't yet begun seriously discussing possible trades.
  • The Orioles don't have to pursue an extension with Adam Jones this winter, opines MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.  She believes if Baltimore's young pitchers don't show signs of improvement next season, the O's will have to enter yet another rebuilding process, and only then will the team decide if Jones is a long-term answer.  If the Orioles rebuild, Jones would command a heavy price on the trade market.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes looked at Jones as an extension candidate in August.
  • We recently heard from FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal that the Red Sox asked the Blue Jays about Toronto manager (and former Sox pitching coach) John Farrell.  According to David Waldstein of the New York Times (Twitter link), the Jays asked for Clay Buchholz in return.  As Rosenthal wrote, "the Sox never considered it likely that the Jays would engage in serious discussions about Farrell, and the conversations failed to progress," which isn't at all surprising if Buchholz was the asking price.
  • Freddy Garcia could have found a two-year deal elsewhere but wanted to return to the Yankees, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.  The Red Sox were the only other team known to have an interest in Garcia, who agreed to terms today on a one-year, $5MM deal with New York.

American League Free Agent Arbitration Offers

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10 American League teams have free agent arbitration offer decisions to make, and we'll update them in this post throughout the day in advance of the 11pm central time deadline.  For a fantastic customizable chart with all 57 Type A/B free agents and their teams' decisions in real-time, click here. 

Updated team decisions:

Teams with decisions still due:

Cesar Izturis Drawing Interest

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Cesar Izturis is looking for a Major League deal and has drawn interest from several teams, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The infielder won’t be re-signing with the Orioles, according to Connolly.

Izturis, 31, has spent the past three seasons in Baltimore, where he has played shortstop, second and third. He missed much of the 2011 season with elbow and groin injuries, but has a .255/.295/.322 line in 11 Major League seasons. UZR suggests the former Gold Glove winner has been an above-average defender in each of the past six seasons. Izturis is a client of Peter E. Greenberg & Associates, the same agency that represents free agent shortstop Jose Reyes.

Matt Klentak Named Angels Assistant GM

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The Angels announced Matt Klentak was hired as an assistant GM, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.  ESPN's Keith Law first reported the likely move.  Klentak served as director of baseball operations for the Orioles since 2008.  Klentak was named one of our top 20 GM candidates in August, and you can read Ben Nicholson-Smith's interview with him here.  The Halos hired the first person on our list, Jerry Dipoto, as their new GM in October.

Orioles, Chong Tae-Hyon Near Deal

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TUESDAY, 11:01pm: Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun says the two sides are still finalizing some details and could have the deal wrapped up by Wednesday. An announcement is not imminent, and Tae-Hyon's physical will be delayed by Thanksgiving.

MONDAY, 9:13pm: The Orioles are close to a deal with Tae-Hyon, but haven't officially agreed to terms, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The right-hander would get a Major League deal, which means Baltimore will have to clear a 40-man roster spot.

8:22pm: The Orioles agreed to sign Korean right-hander Chong Tae-Hyon, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (on Twitter). The sides had been discussing a deal earlier today.

This 2009 video shows Tae-Hyon facing the Dodgers in a warmup game for the most recent World Baseball Classic .

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