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Odds & Ends: Hall, Wood, Jenks, Angels

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Some links after another busy day in baseball..

Red Sox Want A One-Year Deal With Wheeler

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The Red Sox have added Bobby Jenks, Matt Albers, Andrew Miller, and others to their list of bullpen options over the last few days, but Dan Wheeler is still on their wish list.  We heard yesterday that Boston was talking with the veteran right-hander, and now CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam (via Twitter) reports that the Sox "likely won't go beyond" a one-year contract offer.  Wheeler is a native of Providence, Rhode Island, so McAdam speculates that Wheeler "might prefer being home" rather than seeking a multi-year deal elsewhere.

Wheeler, 33, has been a very solid bullpen option in five of his last six seasons.  Over the last three years with Tampa Bay, he posted a 3.24 ERA and a 3.06 K/BB ratio in 203 games.  Wheeler became a Type A free agent when the Rays declined his 2011 option, but since they also didn't offer him arbitration, other teams are free to sign Wheeler without giving up a compensatory draft pick.

Red Sox Sign Andrew Miller

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The Red Sox have signed Andrew Miller to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training, according to a team media release.  The left-hander met with a number of teams at the Winter Meetings, before the Giants and Red Sox emerged as finalists.  Frontline, the agency that represents A.J. Burnett and Cliff Lee, represents Miller.

Boston acquired Miller from the Marlins for Dustin Richardson after the season, only to non-tender him on December 2nd. The Tigers selected Miller sixth overall in the 2006 draft and sent him to Florida in the 2007 Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade. The 25-year-old has walked 5.3 batters per nine innings in his major league career and has a 5.84 ERA.

He is out of options, so the Red Sox will have to expose him to waivers before sending him to the minor leagues. Boston will be able to retain him after 2011 through arbitration if they so choose. 

Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link) was the first to report that a deal was close between Miller and the Sox.

Minor Transactions: Morales, Harvey, Red Sox

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On a busy day of moves around baseball, here are a few lower-profile transactions…

  • The Rockies have acquired catcher Jose Morales from the Twins in exchange for minor league left-hander Paul Bargas, according to a Minnesota team release.  Morales hit .297/.370/.354 in 181 plate appearances over parts of three seasons with the Twins, only seeing significant playing time while filling in for an injured Joe Mauer in April 2009.  Bargas, taken in the 13th round of the 2009 amateur draft, posted a 3.59 ERA in 58 relief appearances for Colorado's Single-A Asheville affiliate last season.
  • Ryan Harvey, picked sixth overall by the Cubs in the 2003 amateur draft, has signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.  Harvey is trying to convert to pitching after posting a career .749 OPS as an outfielder in eight minor league seasons in the Cubs and Rockies' systems.
  • In addition to Harvey, Boston has also signed left-handers Rich Hill and Randy Williams to minor league deals, as per a team release.  Hill signed a minor league contract with Boston last summer and made six relief appearances for the Red Sox after spending the previous five years as a starter with the Cubs and Orioles.  Williams spent the last two seasons with the White Sox, where he posted a 5.06 ERA in 52 games out of the bullpen.  The two southpaws received invitations to spring training.
  • The Rangers have signed right-hander Yhency Brazoban to a minor league contract, according to the Associated Press.  Brazoban made 116 appearances for the Dodgers between 2004 and 2008, and last year pitched in the Mexican League and for the Mets' Triple-A team.
  • Texas also signed 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Alberto Triunfel to a contract worth $300K, reports Baseball America's Ben Badler.  Trifunel, a Scott Boras client, was ranked eighth on Blake Bentley's list of top prospects heading into the opening of the international signing period.

Greinke Can’t Block Trades To Angels, Rangers, Tigers

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Zack Greinke can block trades to 15 teams and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Yankees, Red Sox and Nationals are among them. The Tigers, Angels and Rangers, however, could acquire the right-hander without his permission.

The Yankees reportedly have limited interest in Greinke, but the Nationals have shown interest in acquiring Greinke or Matt Garza. Though the Tigers and Angels haven't been linked to Greinke much this offseason, the Rangers are often mentioned as a possible destination for the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. They prefer him to Fausto Carmona, according to Morosi (on Twitter). Greinke has two years and $27MM remaining on his contract.

Olney On Vlad, Zambrano, Yankees, Fuentes

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The latest from ESPN.com's Buster Olney on potential contracts and trades:

  • The Rangers and Vladimir Guerrero are now "on the same page" and are discussing the parameters of a one-year deal. Vlad originally sought a multiyear contract.
  • Though there's been speculation that the Yankees could inquire on Carlos Zambrano, Olney reports that they will not attempt to acquire him.
  • Now that the Red Sox have agreed to sign Bobby Jenks, their payroll is higher than the Yankees' (Twitter link).
  • Brian Fuentes is looking for a deal that resembles the three-year $15MM contract Scott Downs signed, according to Olney (on Twitter).

Red Sox Sign Matt Albers

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The Red Sox have signed Matt Albers, the team announced. Peter Gammons first reported the deal on NESN's Red Sox Hot Stove Live. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported earlier in the week that the Red Sox had interest in Albers, who became a free agent when the Orioles non-tendered him earlier this month. Hendricks Sports represents Albers.

The 27-year-old spent three seasons in Baltimore after the Orioles acquired him in the Miguel Tejada trade. He posted a 4.52 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 75 2/3 innings last year. The right-hander has a 5.11 ERA in 317 1/3 career innings with the O's and Astros.

Albers has less than four years of service time, so the Red Sox will be able to keep him around for the 2012 and 2013 seasons if they so choose.

Dodgers To Sign Matt Guerrier

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The Dodgers signed Matt Guerrier to a three-year deal, the team announced today. The deal is for $12MM over three years, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Newsday's Erik Boland first reported the agreement (on Twitter). 

The right-hander joins Scott Downs and Joaquin Benoit as the setup relievers to agree to three-year contracts this winter. Guerrier will not cost a draft pick, since the Twins declined to offer him arbitration. 

Guerrier led the league in appearances in 2008-09 and pitched in 74 games this past season. Not only is he durable, he is a ground ball pitcher with a career 2.7 K/BB ratio against righties. That figure drops against lefties (1.5 K/BB), but he induces more ground balls against them.

However, defense independent pitching stats like FIP and xFIP suggest Guerrier's 3.17 ERA would have been higher if he had been less lucky in 2010. He posted solid ratios of 5.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 last year, but both rates were better in 2009.

The Red Sox, Orioles and Blue Jays also expressed interest in the 32-year-old this offseason. Boston offered a two-year deal with a vesting option for 2013, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. The Rockies also bid on Guerrier, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).

When I examined Guerrier's free agent stock earlier in the offseason, I expected him to land a one-year deal, so agent Joe Bick deserves credit for taking advantage of a player-friendly market.

Padres Acquire Eric Patterson

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The Padres acquired Eric Patterson from the Red Sox, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). He is the player to be named in the Adrian Gonzalez deal, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). The Red Sox acquired Patterson from the A's for Fabian Williamson this summer.

Patterson, 27, has played second base, left field and center field in his four-year major league career. Given the Padres' outfield depth and need for a second baseman, it seems likely that they've acquiRed Patterson for infield depth. In 204 plate appearances for the A's and Red Sox last year, Patterson hit .214/.272/.406 with 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts.

 

Red Sox On Verge Of Deal With Bobby Jenks

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The Red Sox are on the verge of a deal with Bobby Jenks, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Jenks, who is looking for "closer money," appears to be drawing lots of interest.

The White Sox non-tendered the reliever earlier in the month after a season in which Jenks posted a career-high 4.44 ERA with otherwise strong numbers. His 58.3% ground ball rate placed him tenth among relievers with at least 50 innings of work and he posted 10.4 K/9 with 3.1 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings. He picked up 27 saves, his lowest total since becoming the team's full-time closer in 2006.

Heyman reported earlier this afternoon that the Red Sox are open to trading Jonathan Papelbon, though his trade value is low, since he's likely to earn $11MM or so through arbitration (Twitter link).

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