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Quick Hits: Red Sox, Sizemore, Padres, Chen

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Links for Wednesday night as we await arbitration decisions from the National and American Leagues…

  • Rob Bradford of WEEI.com surveyed this offseason's stronger-than-usual relief market with the help of many Major League GMs. The Red Sox aren’t desperate for a closer, because Daniel Bard and Bobby Jenks are already in their ‘pen, but GM Ben Cherington figures to explore the market for closers after losing Jonathan Papelbon to the Phillies.
  • The Phillies, Rockies and Cubs had more interest in Grady Sizemore than any teams except the Indians, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter links). Hoynes has the details on Sizemore’s incentives: the outfielder obtains $1MM if he reaches 500 plate appearances and $500K for every 25 plate appearances until he reaches 650. 
  • The Padres aren’t likely to sign any free agent pitchers to Major League deals this offseason, according to MLB.com’s Corey Brock (on Twitter). Padres GM Josh Byrnes sent starter Wade LeBlanc to Miami yesterday.
  • The Rockies had mild interest in Bruce Chen before he re-signed in Kansas City, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). 
  • The Twins and Cubs were Chen’s primary suitors other than the Royals, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).

Quick Hits: Street, Garza, Red Sox, Sizemore

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Some links to check out as we await tonight's 11pm central time arbitration deadline…

  • Though teams are interested, there's nothing imminent regarding a trade of Huston Street, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.  A source also tells Renck that the Rockies have not spoken with the Cubs about Matt Garza.
  • The Red Sox won’t reach a decision on their new manager before tomorrow, a team source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti doesn't expect Grady Sizemore to play 150-160 games next year, but does think that the center fielder will play the "vast majority of games" in 2012, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer.

Indians Re-Sign Grady Sizemore

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Grady Sizemore will remain with the Indians in 2012, announced the team today.  Sizemore receives a $5MM base salary and $4MM in incentives on a one-year deal, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  He has a chance to reach the value of the option the Indians turned down, with the incentives kicking in at 450 plate appearances according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  Sizemore would get $500K for winning the Comeback Player of the Year award, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  A corresponding 40-man roster move is a few days away, according to the team.

Sizemore

The Indians chose a $500K buyout over Sizemore's $9MM option in October, and with at least eight teams showing interest it seemed that he'd play elsewhere for the first time in his big league career.  Sizemore, 29, is a risky player given his health issues the last three years.  From 2005-08, he was one of the game's best players for the Tribe, garnering MVP votes in each season.

Since 2009 Sizemore has missed time due to injuries to his elbow, abdominal wall, and left knee, the last of which required microfracture surgery in June of 2010.  He had surgery for a sports hernia this year, and a right knee injury culminated in an October arthroscopy.  He's expected to be ready for Spring Training.  Sizemore's agent, Joe Urbon of CAA Sports, says his client will continue to play center field for the Indians.    

Sizemore ranked 26th on my top 50 free agents list.  With six of the 50 having signed so far, five of the 5,020 entrants in MLBTR's free agent prediction contest have four correct picks. 

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported Sizemore's likely return to the Indians on Friday, with SI's Jon Heyman declaring it official this morning.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Quick Hits: Draft, Papelbon, Indians, D’Backs, Pirates

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Some links as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…

  • The new Collective Bargaining Agreement will implement some major changes to the draft, but Baseball America's Jim Callis says the spending limitations won't be as drastic as initially thought.
  • Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports (on Twitter) that slots for the first four picks for the draft will be $7.2MM, $6.2MM, $5.2MM, and $4.2MM. Teams are not required to spend that much, however.
  • In an Insider-only breakdown, ESPN's Keith Law analyzed the new CBA point-by-point. "The net result here is a big negative for the sport," he says. Click here for some more CBA reactions.
  • The Rangers were not in on Jonathan Papelbon before he signed with the Phillies, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford (on Twitter). Texas signed Joe Nathan to close yesterday.
  • MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says (on Twitter) that the Indians will give Lonnie Chisenhall every chance to win their third base job in Spring Training, so don't expect their search for offense to result in an upgrade at the hot corner.
  • In a second tweet, Bastian says the one-year deal between the Indians and Grady Sizemore should be announced soon, perhaps on Wednesday.
  • The Diamondbacks announced their minor league coaching staffs in a press release. Former D'Backs Jay Bell and Robby Hammock have joined the club's player development staff.
  • Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review passes along some changes the Pirates have made to their scouting department.

Indians “In Serious Discussions” With Grady Sizemore

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11:49am: "We will continue to work through details with the Indians over the weekend," said Urbon to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter links). "During that time we will have no further comment.''

SATURDAY, 8:50am: Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says the one-year deal would include a low base salary and incentives that could push the total value to $9MM, the same amount as the option the Indians declined after the season. Hoynes also mentions that the two sides discussed a deal like this before the option decision was made.

FRIDAY, 8:52pm: "The Indians came at us with an aggressive offer,'' Sizemore's agent Joe Urbon tells ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. "Grady has always maintained that he would be interested in returning to Cleveland. We've exchanged proposals, but there's nothing more I can say at this point.''  Crasnick's ESPN colleague Buster Olney hears from a source that the deal "will be done" between the two sides (Twitter link).

8:11pm: Urbon confirmed to Rosenthal (Twitter link) that the negotiations with the Indians are taking place.  "Our efforts right now are to see if we can make that happen," Urbon said.

6:34pm: The Indians and Grady Sizemore are having "serious discussions" about a one-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).  One of Rosenthal's sources says a deal is "very likely," while another source is only slightly less optimistic, pegging the chances of an agreement at "70-30."

Several teams have shown interest in Sizemore this winter but a source tells Rosenthal that Sizemore is "pulling back" from talks with other clubs in order to pursue this new deal with Cleveland.  Things could be finalized between the two sides by this weekend.

As Rosenthal noted in a follow-up tweet, the Tribe's medical personnel knows Sizemore best and with just a one-year contract, he could pursue a bigger deal next offseason.  There isn't much risk involved for the Indians — a healthy and in-form Sizemore helps the team contend in the AL Central or, if Cleveland falls out of the pennant race, Sizemore would be a sought-after commodity at the trade deadline even as a rental player.

Added To 40-Man Roster: Giants, Dodgers, Pirates

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Today is the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from next month's Rule 5 draft. Here's more on which players need to be protected and here are the details on which players have had their contracts selected to the 40-man roster:

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Indians Designate Luis Valbuena For Assignment

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The Indians announced that infielder Luis Valbuena has been designated for assignment.  Valbuena, who turns 26 on November 30, saw a lot of time at second base for the Tribe in 2009 and 2010, but spent most of 2011 in the minors. 

Valbuena has a career .630 OPS in 806 Major League appearances with Seattle and Cleveland, but has wielded a much more dangerous bat in the minors — he has a career .304/.387/.468 line in 937 plate appearances at Triple-A.  With this minor league production in mind, it's easy to imagine Valbuena being claimed by a team looking for infield depth.

Indians Interested In Jason Kubel

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The Indians are interested in free agent outfielder Jason Kubel, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cleveland claimed Kubel on waivers in August and they are still considering ways of obtaining outfield depth.

Kubel, 29, posted a .273/.332/.434 line for the Twins in 2011, adding 12 homers and 21 doubles. He's a Type B free agent and it appears highly unlikely that he'll cost a draft pick, even if the free agent compensation system changes under the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.

Though Kubel would provide some offense, he's a left-handed hitter and Cleveland's offense already features a number of lefty bats. Outfielders Shin-Soo Choo and Michael Brantley bat from the left side, along with Travis Hafner, Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall and Jack Hannahan. However, GM Chris Antonetti appears to be keeping options open in case the right deal emerges for a left-handed hitter.  The Indians, who are considering options at first base and center field, presumably have interest in Kubel as a left fielder.

Antonetti On Brantley, Kipnis, Chisenhall

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Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti has an adaptable approach to this offseason’s free agent market. Players such as Michael Brantley offer defensive versatility, so the Indians aren’t about to limit their search for position players so early in the offseason.

“We can either go left field, center field or first base,” Antonetti said. “And we have some creative ideas for other positions as well.”

The Indians feel “very comfortable” with Brantley in center field, since he played for a month and a half with a serious wrist injury but still posted a .702 OPS in 2011. Brantley will play center field or left field in 2012, depending on the rest of Cleveland’s offseason.

The Indians’ winter will revolve around the search for position players, since they have a full five-man rotation heading into Spring Training 2012. However, the Indians aren’t content with their pitching depth.

“I don’t think we’ll ever be satisfied with our pitching,” he said. “We’ll always look for opportunities to improve.” 

The Indians enter the 2011 season with Ubaldo Jimenez, Justin Masterson, Fausto Carmona, Derek Lowe and Josh Tomlin in the rotation. Since Masterson, Carmona and Lowe induce so many ground balls, the Indians intend on lining their infield with above-average defenders.

Jason Kipnis appears to be the leading candidate for the starting second base job and Antonetti says he has the chance to become an above-average defender. Jack Hannahan, a pleasant surprise in 2011, is an “elite” defender, according to Antonetti. He could start at third for Cleveland and Lonnie Chisenhall is also in the mix for regular work at the hot corner. However, the Indians aren’t going to finalize decisions before Spring Training.

Eight Teams Interested In Grady Sizemore

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TUESDAY, 11:27am: The Rockies have examined Sizemore's medical records and believe he's worth the risk on a one-year deal, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.  The Rockies expect to watch Sizemore work out in the coming days.

The A's have no interest in pursuing Sizemore, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

MONDAY, 7:38pm: There's no shortage of interest in Grady Sizemore this offseason. The free agent outfielder has drawn interest from eight teams, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The Cubs, Rangers, Giants and Yankees are potential suitors for Sizemore, along with the Phillies, Rockies, Red Sox and Indians.

The Giants are interested, even after acquiring Melky Cabrera, and the Cubs view Sizemore as a possible fit in right field. The A's, who saw their entire outfield hit free agency after the season, have also been linked to Sizemore.

Sizemore's knees have limited him to 104 total games in the past two seasons, so the Indians declined their $9MM club option after the season, making the 29-year-old a free agent. He hit 10 homers and posted a .224/.285/.422 line in 2011, but Sizemore combined power, speed and on-base skills as one of baseball's premier center fielders from 2005-08.

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