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AL East Notes: Darvish, Varitek, Orioles

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The AL East will look considerably different if Yu Darvish joins the Yankees or Blue Jays this offseason. Those two clubs had some level of interest in the right-hander, but we don’t yet know whether they won the bidding for him. Here are some AL East links as we await news on Darvish…

  • Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star suggests the Blue Jays would have done well to "go big or go home" in this week's bidding for Darvish. The Blue Jays haven't confirmed how much they bid or even that they placed a bid, but rumors about the team's aggressiveness continue to swirl.
  • The Red Sox will continue talking with Jason Varitek about the possibility of a reunion, GM Ben Cherington said, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. "Our hope is that Tek will always be a part of the Red Sox in some way," Cherington said.
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun suggests the Orioles are looking for more starting pitching and considering upgrades at third base, where Chris Davis and Matt Antonelli are tentatively set to play.

Minor Moves: Rangers, Lindsay, Texeira, James

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Here's where we'll track today's minor moves, most of which were reported by Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus on Twitter…

Phillies Sign Dontrelle Willis

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The Phillies announced that they have signed left-hander Dontrelle Willis to pitch out of the bullpen. The contract is worth approximately $1MM and includes performance bonuses for the Sosnick Cobbe client, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports. 

“Dontrelle, I believe, is at a point in his career where he is ready to make the transition to being an effective reliever,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement.

Willis pitched 75 2/3 innings as a starter for the Reds in 2011 — his highest total since 2007. The left-hander posted a 5.00 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 54.5% ground ball rate in 13 second half starts with Cincinnati this past season. However, stats such as xFIP (4.08) and SIERA (4.29) suggest Willis' ERA may have been inflated. Willis, who turns 30 next month, signed a minor league contract last offseason.

Crasnick first reported that the sides were nearing a deal and Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly first reported that they had reached an agreement (Twitter link). The Mariners, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Reds also had interest in Willis as a reliever, Crasnick reports.

Red Sox Continue Pursuing Bailey, Others

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The Red Sox strengthened their bullpen yesterday and they aren’t done yet. Boston continues pursuing relievers, including A’s closer Andrew Bailey, even after adding Mark Melancon, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (on Twitter).

Boston may move Daniel Bard to the rotation and Alfredo Aceves might also start, so Boston's interest in relievers is no surprise. They've been linked to left-handers such as Darren Oliver and right-handers such as Ryan Madson throughout the offseason. Melancon joins Matt Albers, Scott Atchison, Bobby Jenks and Franklin Morales in Boston's projected bullpen.

GM Ben Cherington sounds comfortable with Melancon as a closer, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (on Twitter). However, Bailey recently told Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that he won't be surprised if the A's send him to an East Coast team like the Red Sox.

Bidding Period For Yu Darvish Ends

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The deadline for teams to submit bids to the Nippon Ham Fighters for the exclusive rights to negotiate with Yu Darvish passed at 4pm central time today.  Nippon Ham has until 4pm CDT on December 20th to accept or reject the high bid, according to a Japanese report passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter).  The latest updates:

  • The Giants did not bid on Darvish, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).
  • The A's didn't bid on Darvish, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Marlins did not bid on Darvish, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
  • The Mets didn't place a bid, Howard Megdal of the Journal News reports.
  • The Yankees' bid is modest, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Indications are the winning bid is "sky high."
  • Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports (on Twitter) that the Fighters plan to accept the posting bid no matter how large it is.
  • The Nippon Ham Fighters were very excited by how large the high bid was according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Still no word on the the money, though.
  • The Yankees did post a bid, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). 
  • The Rays did not bid, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter).
  • The Angels did not bid on Darvish, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (on Twitter).
  • Three MLB executives speculated that the Blue Jays and Rangers are candidates to win the bidding for Darvish, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • The Twins did not bid on Darvish, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox did not bid on Darvish, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
  • At least one team submitted a bid on Darvish, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network (on Twitter).  Nippon, which doesn't know the identity of the MLB team that won the bidding, must decide whether to accept the high bid by Tuesday.
  • One MLB official expects an announcement regarding the winning bid tonight or tomorrow morning, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • The Orioles are not bidding on Darvish, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Darvish has more leverage than any previous player coming from Japan to MLB, one executive tells Yahoo's Jeff Passan, because the righty seems willing to stay with the Fighters.  In October, my poll of five agents and one team executive showed that they felt he has the leverage to extract a five or six-year deal worth $72-75MM from the winning team, on top of a posting fee for the Fighters ranging from $30-55MM.  Passan's survey of six executives suggests the Rangers and Blue Jays are favorites for Darvish and the Nationals, Yankees, and Mariners may submit bids.  Darvish appears to have a strong preference for the West Coast.  Passan feels that the higher the posting fee gets, the less likely Darvish is to sign.
  • In a poll of over 26,000 MLBTR readers yesterday, 27% felt the Yankees would win the bid, followed by 17% for the Blue Jays and 15% for the Rangers.

Red Sox Sign Nick Punto

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It sure didn't take long for Ben Cherington to replace Jed Lowrie. Hours after sending Lowrie and Kyle Weiland to Houston for Mark Melancon, the Red Sox GM announced the signing of Nick Punto to a two-year deal. The contract guarantees Punto $3MM and offers him the chance to earn an additional $500K in incentives, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links).

Punto spent the 2011 season with the Cardinals and played second, short and third. He had just 166 plate appearances, but posted a .278/.388/.421 line for a career-best .809 OPS. The switch-hitter's career batting line sits at .249/.325/.327, so he may not be able to replicate this year's offensive performance in 2012-13.

But in all likelihood, Cherington didn't add Punto for his bat. UZR suggests Punto is a strong defender at short, second and third. Overall, he has been an above-average defender in each season that he's logged significant MLB playing time. However, he's 34 and maintaining his historically strong defense may be unrealistic.

Red Sox Notes: Varitek, Oswalt, Saunders

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The Red Sox sent Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland to Houston for Mark Melancon today before agreeing to terms with Nick Punto on a two-year deal. One thing they did not do was bid on Yu Darvish. Here’s the latest from Boston (and for more on the Red Sox, click here):

Prince Fielder Rumors: Wednesday

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Approximately nine out of every ten MLBTR readers expect Prince Fielder to sign a deal in the five-to-eight year range, today's poll question revealed. But that doesn't answer the question of where the 27-year-old Scott Boras client will sign. Here's the latest on Fielder:

  • Marlins president David Samson told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio that the Marlins never had interest in Fielder because he wasn’t a fit (Twitter link).
  • Marlins and Red Sox officials confirmed to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that they don't plan to pursue Fielder. Morosi breaks down the market for Fielder, from legitimate suitors like the Cubs, Orioles and Mariners to long shots like the Yankees and Cardinals.
  • Scott Miller of CBSSports reported today that Fielder seeks a ten-year deal (Twitter link).

Angels, Blue Jays Interested In Darren Oliver

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Add the Angels and Blue Jays to the list of American League teams interested in Darren Oliver. Those two clubs, plus the Red Sox and Rangers have shown interest in the veteran left-hander, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

Oliver, 41, posted a 2.29 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 51 innings for the Rangers in 2011. The Jeff Frye client is one of the top left-handed relievers available in free agency. It's worth noting that the Angels signed former Rangers left-hander C.J. Wilson earlier this offseason.

The Blue Jays' interest is no surprise. They dealt Marc Rzepczynski last summer and Evan Crawford and Luis Perez are the only left-handed relievers on their 40-man roster at the moment. I'd be surprised if the team hasn't shown interest in most of the competent, available left-handers this offseason and I expect them to acquire one by Opening Day.

Red Sox Notes: Melancon, Lowrie, Closer Search

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Earlier today, the Red Sox shipped shortstop Jed Lowrie and starter Kyle Weiland to Houston for reliever Mark Melancon.  Here's a look at some items out of Boston with plenty of talk about the trade..

  • Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter) likes the trade for the Red Sox but stresses that Melancon can't be the team's closer.  In his view, Boston still needs to acquire someone for the ninth inning.
  • ESPN's Keith Law thinks the Astros won the deal.
  • Melancon's power arm and mental toughness are definite positives, but Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe tweets that the 26-year-old projects as a set-up man in the AL rather than a closer.
  • Meanwhile, one talent evaluator told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he loves what Melancon has to offer and believes that he has what it takes to be a closer.  The right-hander finished 47 games for the Astros last season.
  • The Red Sox are still in on multiple starters and closers, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  It's a good bet that they'll land either the starter or closer that they're after and may get both.
  • More from Speier (via Twitter) who notes that the deal should be a good opportunity for both Weiland and Lowrie.  Lowrie has largely been blocked by Marco Scutaro and now would have had Jose Iglesias in front of him.  Meanwhile, Weiland was set to start the year in Triple-A but will now get to pitch for the Astros' varsity squad.
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