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Quick Hits: Thome, Boras, Angels, Villalona, Rolen

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Here's the latest from around the majors…

  • The Indians are no longer pursuing Jim Thome, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link) reports, as the team doesn't want to devote a roster spot to a full-time DH.  Thome is "healthy, working out [and] open to other clubs," Rosenthal notes.  Thome said in December that he was open to continuing his career in 2013.
  • Scott Boras plans to open a sports fitness center for his clients in south Florida next year, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports, in part to prevent players from getting associated with doctors and clinics associated with PEDs.  Boras says his clinic will “bring about a certain level of assurance that the players we represent are certainly given the best information and best professional training…We feel we can best avoid all of the outside resources that are attacking these young men and providing them with false information and less than licensed professional medical assistance.” 
  • The Angels twice chose to focus on their hitters ahead of their pitching rotation this winter, decisions that MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez feels will define their season, for better or worse.
  • Angel Villalona will join the Giants' Spring Training camp after obtaining a work visa to come to the United States, Baseball America's Ben Badler reports.  Villalona couldn't get a visa last year and was on MLB's restricted list in 2010-11 due to complications from being charged with murder in his native Dominican Republic in 2009, charges that were eventually dropped.
  • While Scott Rolen can't contribute on the field as he could in his prime, his veteran leadership can still be a big boost to a contender, MLB.com's Mike Bauman writes.  Rolen has toyed with retirement this winter but may be negotiating a return to the Reds.

Quick Hits: Angels, Blue Jays, Cabrera

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The Mariners agreed to sign Felix Hernandez to a record-setting contract today. The seven-year, $175MM agreement will establish a record for starting pitchers, topping C.C. Sabathia’s $161MM contract by a considerable margin. Here are the latest links from around MLB…

  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto explained to ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the acquisition of Josh Hamilton should lead to a strong defensive outfield in 2013. "We're taking three center fielders and trying to create the best defensive alignment we can," Dipoto said.
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs lists his top ten offseason moves, including three by the Blue Jays. But don’t worry, Mets fans. Cameron likes the R.A. Dickey trade for both sides and lists the Mets’ acquisition of Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard as one of the winter’s best deals.
  • Jordan Bastian of MLB.com spoke with a few sources who expect the Indians to trade Asdrubal Cabrera by next winter (Twitter link). The Indians’ recent two-year deal with Mike Aviles increases the sense that Cabrera could be dealt in Bastian’s view.

Angels, Callaspo Agree To Two-Year Deal

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5:00pm: Callaspo will earn $4.1MM in 2013 and $4.875MM in 2014, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). The deal includes standard award bonuses. 

4:08pm: The Angels have finalized their two-year, $8.975MM contract with Alberto Callaspo, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter link). Agent Eric Goldschmidt represents the 29-year-old.

The contract buys out Callaspo's final season of arbitration eligibility and his first free agent year. He is now on track to hit free agency following the 2014 season.

The third baseman posted a .252/.331/.361 batting line in 520 plate appearances with the Angels in 2012. In seven seasons at the MLB level, Callaspo has a .335 on-base percentage. He has considerable experience at other positions, but the Angels have relied on him almost exclusively at third since trading for him in 2010.

MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez first reported that the deal was nearly done and Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times first reported the value of the contract.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Reds, Bourn, Lohse, Hendrickson

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As February gets underway, Michael Bourn still stands as the best available free agent on the open market.  Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter) opines that the Mets, Mariners, and Rays are the teams that make the most sense for the center fielder.  As for the best starter left on the free agent pile, Bowden sees the Red Sox, Rangers, Angels, Brewers, and Orioles as the best fits for Kyle Lohse.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Don't look for the Marlins to make any major moves the remainder of the offseason, says Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter). The team will enter spring training with the roster it currently has in place.
  • Regardless of whether or not Scott Rolen joins the Reds, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the club is facing a serious roster crunch.  It seems that the veteran wants to play in 2013 but money will be a determining factor in his decision.  Recently, the Dodgers reached out to Rolen to express interest.
  • The Orioles expect to announce the signing of veteran left-handerMark Hendrickson to a minor league contract with a spring training invite early next week, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  The O's also hope to announce their deal with Jair Jurrjens and remain interested in bringing Joe Saunders back despite the depth that they've added.
  • Torii Hunter says that enjoyed his time with the Angels, but he also felt misled when the club told him they didn't have enough money to keep him before signing Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125MM deal, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  The veteran hooked on with the Tigers this winter in pursuit of a World Series ring.
  • The Tigers had a tough time trying to find organizational depth this winter as many players figured that their path to the majors would be blocked, writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.  Regardless, assistant General Manager Al Avila says that the club is done signing minor league players and is ready for spring training.

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

Angels Sign Hiroyuki Kobayashi

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves here…

  • The Angels signed Hiroyuki Kobayashi to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports. The 34-year-old didn't pitch for an MLB or NPB team in 2012, but he posted a 3.00 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 39 innings of relief for the Hanshin Tigers in 2011. He first moved to the bullpen in 2010, saving 29 games for the Chiba Lotte Marines. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times first reported the sides were close to a deal. The Pirates and Diamondbacks were linked to Kobayashi following the 2010 season.

AL West Notes: Kobayashi, Rangers, Trout, Wells

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The Rangers and Nationals are waiting to hear if Nelson Cruz or Gio Gonzalez could face disciplinary action from Major League Baseball due to their possible connection to a clinic that sold performance-enhancing drugs, but though both teams are in limbo with these key players, ESPN's Jim Bowden doesn't think either team will jump quickly to find replacements until more facts are known.  As it happens, Bowden says both clubs were already looking to improve in those areas before the news of this PED scandal broke — the Nats were known to want pitching depth and the Rangers were in need of another power hitter.  Bowden suspects the Rangers will make a move for a big bat closer to the trade deadline.

Here are some more items from around the AL West…

  • The Angels are close to signing right-hander Hiroyuki Kobayashi to a minor league deal, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link).  Kobayashi, 34, has pitched out of the bullpen for Chiba Lotte and Hanshin for the last three seasons.  He last explored a move to MLB when he became a free agent following the 2010 season, when he was linked to the Pirates and Diamondbacks in rumors.
  • It wouldn't make sense for the Rangers to sign Michael Bourn to replace Cruz, argues MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, since "a five-year contract to cover a two-month need seems a bit extreme."  The Rangers didn't make a big push for a center fielder this winter since they like Craig Gentry and Leonys Martin as CF options.
  • The Angels haven't talked to Mike Trout's representatives about an extension for the young star, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports.  Trout is under team control through the 2017 season and is still two seasons away from arbitration eligibility.  Those arb years will get expensive if Trout continues his superb play but, as Gonzalez notes, big-market clubs like the Angels can afford pricey arbitration payouts and thus don't quite feel the pressure that smaller-market clubs have to lock up their young stars early.
  • Casper Wells has turned into something of an afterthought on the Mariners roster and could become trade bait if the M's were to add another outfielder like Bourn, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  Wells struggled when given regular at-bats last season and Baker wonders if the club has given up on the player who was "possibly the front-liner" of the trade package the Mariners received in the Doug Fister deal.

Quick Hits: Headley, Wells, Lowe, A-Rod, Mariners

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Earlier tonight, the Padres avoided arbitration with Chase Headley by agreeing to a one-year, $8.575MM deal.  The third baseman is under team control through 2015 and General Manager Josh Byrnes started dialogue with Headley's representatives about a contract extension earlier this winter, writes MLB.com's Corey Brock.  However, those talks have been tabled for now.  "We couldn't frame it up where it made sense for both sides," Byrnes said.  In today's poll, nearly 70% of MLBTR readers said that it would make sense to lock Headley up long-term.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • The Dodgers, Blue Jays, Angels, Tigers, Orioles, Brewers, and Athletics were in Peoria, Arizona today to watch Kip Wells, Mark Lowe, and Ryan Rowland-Smith throw, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  Wells, 35, made seven starts for the Padres last season and posted a 4.58 ERA with 20 walks and 19 strikeouts.
  • The Yankees can dream about getting out from under Alex Rodriguez's contract, but there is very little chance of it happening, writes David Waldstein of the New York Times.  Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports noted that the Yankees could pay just 15% of the $114MM owed to A-Rod if his hip injury is diagnosed as career-ending and he misses the entire season.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (video link) has a gut feeling that aces Clayton Kershaw, Felix Hernandez, and Justin Verlander will work out new contracts with their respective clubs before they get the chance to hit the open market.
  • The Mariners need to add a dependable starting pitcher, opines Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  Baker suggests that the M's should try and swing a trade for the Dodgers' Chris Capuano by sending Franklin Gutierrez back to the club where he started his pro baseball career.

Angels To Sign Bill Hall

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The Angels have agreed to sign free agent Bill Hall to a minor league deal, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).  The veteran is a client of Gaylord Sports Management.

Hall signed a minor league deal with the Orioles in April of last season and was outrighted to Triple-A twice during the season.  The veteran appeared in seven games at the big league level and spent the bulk of the year in Norfolk hitting .246/.300/.430 with 15 homers in 90 games.

AL West Notes: Moss, Jaso, Angels, Astros

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The Angels have hired Omar Vizquel as a roving infield instructor in their organization, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reports (Twitter link).  Vizquel, an 11-time Gold Glove winner, said last summer that he was hoping to get into coaching or managing once he retired from playing.  Vizquel hung up the cleats after a 24-year career that saw him amass 2877 career hits, good for 40th on the all-time list.

Here's the latest from around the AL West…

  • Athletics GM Billy Beane tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that the A's have no interest in trading Brandon Moss.  Cafardo opines that Moss' left-handed bat and his ability to play both first and the outfield makes him an "ideal" fit for the Red Sox.
  • The Mariners didn't find much interest in John Jaso at the trade deadline last summer and shopped the catcher for much of the offseason, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  The M's attempted to deal Jaso to the Pirates in exchange for Garrett Jones and explored sending the catcher to Arizona as part of a possible Justin Upton trade before finally sending Jaso to the Athletics as part of a three-way deal with the Nationals.
  • Also from Baker, he opines that the Mariners have the money and the minor league depth to afford signing Michael Bourn and withstand losing the #12 overall draft pick as compensation.
  • The Angels' minor league system projects as one of the worst in the game and MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez looks at how it happened, including such factors as the team's lack of international scouting and lackluster 2010 draft.  One bright side for L.A. is that their farm system is currently shallow because so many homegrown prospects have made their way to the Angels' big league roster.
  • The Astros are approaching their rebuild in the right way, writes Jeff Moore of The Hardball Times, by off-loading all veteran talent from their Major League roster and adding much-needed depth to their farm system.
  • In division news from earlier today, the Mariners reached an agreement with Kelly Shoppach, the Angels avoided arbitration with Kevin Jepsen and we posted a collection of Rangers notes.

Arbitration Deals: Daniel Murphy, Kevin Jepsen

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We'll keep track of today's arbitration agreements under $3MM right here..

  • The Mets have avoided arbitration with Daniel Murphy by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2.925MM, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reports (Twitter links).  The final total is a bit less than the midpoint between the figures exchanged by the two sides; Murphy asked for $3.4MM, the Mets offered $2.55MM.  This was Murphy's first year of arbitration eligibility.  Murphy, an ACES client, was the last of three arb-eligible Mets players to agree to a deal, as MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows.
  • The Angels and reliever Kevin Jepsen have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1,181,250.  The contract includes awards-based bonuses, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).  Beverly Hills Sports Council represents Jepsen. The deal now means that the Angels have wrapped up all of their arb eligible players this offseason, as the MLBTR Arbitration Tracker shows.
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