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West Notes: Fowler, Wells, Dodgers

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Earlier today, the Padres signed Freddy Garcia to a minor league deal and announced that they've avoided arbitration with Luke Gregerson by agreeing to a one-year deal. Here's some more news out of baseball's West divisions…

  • The Rockies are open to a multi-year deal with Dexter Fowler if Fowler and his agents at Excel Sports Management come up with a proposal to the club's liking, writes MLB.com's Thomas Harding. Colorado recently signed Jhoulys Chacin to a two-year deal despite previously saying they preferred one-year deals.
  • Vernon Wells would prefer to remain with the Angels and prove to fans what he's capable of rather than be traded elsewhere with a chance to start (Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times reports on Twitter). Wells says he knows he has to earn a spot to play and that he has to work hard in order to do so.
  • Major League Baseball isn't happy with the Dodgers' reported new TV deal, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale reports that the previous fair-market value for a new deal called for an $84MM annual value. The Dodgers agreed to a deal with Time Warner Cable earlier today that would provide the team with roughly $280MM annually. That number has created significant revenue-sharing concerns among MLB officials.

Rockies Agree To Sign Yorvit Torrealba

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10:40pm: It is a minor league contract, confirms Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter).

9:52pm: The Rockies have agreed to a deal with catcher Yorvit Torrealba, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).  The contract is for one year, as Torrealba revealed himself on his Twitter account (MLB.com's Thomas Harding provides the translation).  Harding reported earlier this week that the Rockies had offered Torrealba a minor league deal.  Torrealba is represented by MDR Sports Management.

This is Torrealba's second stint in Colorado after playing for the Rockies from 2006-09.  There were rumors that the Rockies were looking to acquire Torrealba last summer in the midst of a busy year for the 34-year-old catcher — he bounced around between the Rangers, Blue Jays and Brewers and hit a combined .227/.293/.330 in 218 plate appearances. 

Ramon Hernandez is the Rockies' incumbent backup catcher (behind starter Wilin Rosario) but he underwent hamstring surgery last September and is scheduled to play in the World Baseball Classic.  Torrealba is on board to provide depth through Spring Training while Hernandez is away and potentially fill in should Hernandez suffer a fitness setback.

Rockies Out On Injured Pavano

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The Rockies are no longer looking at free agent starter Carl Pavano, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports (via Twitter).  It's likely that the team backed off its pursuit due to Pavano recently suffering a ruptured spleen, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.  Pavano is expected to need six-to-eight weeks to recuperate from the injury, which occurred while he was shoveling snow at his home.

The Mets and Rockies had both recently been linked to Pavano and New York had already moved on, agreeing to sign Shaun Marcum earlier today.  Colorado has been looking to sign either Pavano or Derek Lowe this week though Renck reported yesterday that the Rockies weren't close to signing either pitcher. It's hard to see Pavano finding a new team before Opening Day given that he'll miss most of Spring Training and was already an injury risk given that he missed the last four months of the 2012 season with a shoulder injury. 

Quick Hits: Rockies, Yankees, Wells

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The latest links from around MLB, as the Justin Upton rumors pick up…

  • Though the Rockies continue looking for starting pitching, they aren’t close to signing Carl Pavano or Derek Lowe, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. Renck reported earlier this week that the Rockies were pursuing the free agent right-handers aggressively.
  • The Rockies would love to sign free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba to a minor league deal, Renck reports. The veteran backstop played for the Rangers, Brewers and Blue Jays in 2012.
  • The Yankees discussed Delmon Young internally, but didn’t have great reports on his performance, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Phillies signed Young to a one-year contract yesterday.
  • Vernon Wells could spend much of the coming season on the Angels’ bench, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Wells is unlikely to be traded, yet he doesn’t project as a regular. Though the Angels explored deals involving Wells, owner Arte Moreno was never willing to absorb a substantial part of the $42MM remaining on Wells’ contract to complete a trade. Naturally other teams weren’t interested in paying Wells $21MM per season through 2014.

Rockies, Herrera Avoid Arbitration

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We'll track the day's arbitration settlements under $2MM here. Be sure to use MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker for all the details related to this year's cases…

West Notes: Torrealba, Pavano, Ankiel

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We've seen a couple of Minor League signings in the AL West tonight, with the Astros adding Erik Bedard and the Rangers adding Nate Robertson. Here's some more news coming out of baseball's two western divisions…

  • The Rockies have offered Yorvit Torrealba a Minor League contract, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding (via Troy Renck on Twitter). Torrealba hit .227/.293/.330 in 218 plate appearances between the Rangers, Blue Jays and Brewers. He hit .258/.316/.394 over the course of four seasons with the Rox from 2006-09.
  • Renck believes that the Rockies have a good chance at landing Carl Pavano, but suspects that the veteran righty has at least one other offer (Twitter link). Colorado is said to be aggressively pursuing Pavano.
  • There's a "definite opportunity" for Rick Ankiel to make the Astros' 25-man roster this Spring, manager Bo Porter told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The team is looking for a left-handed complement to J.D. Martinez and Justin Maxwell. Ankiel inked a Minor League deal with Houston earlier this month. Porter was his third base coach with the Nationals.
  • In that same piece, Porter says that he spoke with recently suspended prospect Jonathan Singleton and told Singleton the organization is behind him as he looks to atone for his mistake.

Rockies Aggressively Pursuing Pavano, Lowe

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The Rockies signed Chris Volstad yesterday, but that’s not stopping them from going after more veteran pitching. The club is “aggressively pursuing” free agent right-handers Carl Pavano and Derek Lowe, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. The Rockies would like to complete another deal this week.

Lowe, a 39-year-old client of the Boras Corporation, posted a 5.11 ERA with 3.5 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 142 2/3 innings for the Indians and Yankees this past season. He has drawn interest from multiple teams as a free agent. Pavano, 37, has drawn interest from the Mets, Twins and Marlins this winter. The Dave Pepe client posted a 6.00 ERA in 63 innings for the Twins in 2012, spending considerable time on the disabled list with a shoulder strain.

The Rockies allowed more runs than any team in baseball this past season (890). They have since re-signed Jeff Francis, added Volstad and seen Jorge de la Rosa exercise his option for 2013.

Rockies Sign Chris Volstad

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The Rockies have signed Chris Volstad to a minor league deal worth $1.5MM, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter). The Moye Sports Association client will compete for a spot in Colorado's rotation.

Volstad, 26, spent the 2012 season with the Cubs where he posted a 6.31 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 111.1 innings. The towering right-hander will look to regain the success he enjoyed with the Marlins earlier in his career.

Quick Hits: Gonzalez, Fowler, Harrison, Nationals

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Several teams have shown interest in the Rockies' Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler, but the club hasn't had trade discussions on either player in recent days, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  Colorado heard from a number of parties interested in Gonzalez during the Winter Meetings but they reportedly told teams that he wasn't available.  Meanwhile, Fowler's name has popped up quite a bit in trade rumors in recent months with the Braves, Reds, and Phillies all showing interest earlier this offseason.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Nationals manager Davey Johnson said at last night's BBWAA dinner that he was caught off guard by the club's signing of Rafael Soriano, writes James Wagner of the Washington Post.  "That kind of surprised me,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know we were needing a closer. I thought we were done” this offseason."
  • The Rangers are basically paying Matt Harrison as just a slightly above-average starting pitcher in his new deal and even if his results fall back to his peripherals, he'll still outpitch his contract, writes Jack Moore of Fangraphs.  Texas agreed to a five-year, $55MM extension with the 27-year-old last week.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider sub. req'd) writes that there are interested teams champing at the bit to get involved in the Justin Upton conversations with the Diamondbacks.  The D'Backs spent the early part of the month talking with the Mariners and Cubs, who are both on his no-trade list. 

Rockies Sign Miguel Batista

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The Rockies have signed Miguel Batista to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (on Twitter). The Martin Arburua client will compete for a middle relief spot according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter).

Batista, 41, posted a 4.61 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings for the Mets and Braves last season. He managed a 3.66 ERA in 142 2/3 innings from 2010-2011 and has served primarily as a swingman since 2008. Batista pitched for 11 different teams during his 18-year big league career.

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