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Quick Hits: Axford, Dodgers, Varitek, Drew, Rangers

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On this date in 1993, the Expos signed Vladimir Guerrero as an 18-year-old amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. He reached the big leagues three years later and went on to hit .318/.379/.553 during his Hall of Fame caliber career. Here's the latest from around the league…

  • John Axford told Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel that he'll have to sign a one-year contract for now, but would very much like to get a multi-year extension done with the Brewers. Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at Axford's extension case earlier today.
  • Dodgers assistant GM De Jon Watson told Anthony Jackson of ESPN Los Angeles that the team is working to sign one player from their tryout camp (all Twitter links). Doug Davis and Minnesota Vikings free safety Jarrad Page were among those at the open tryout today. The player will report to minor league camp once signed.
  • Scott Boras told reporters (including WEEI.com's Rob Bradford) that he "really didn't let" other teams make offers to the now-retired Jason Varitek. "We didn't want to mislead anybody that he wasn't going to play for them," Boras said of the long-time Red Sox.
  • "He's just home," said Boras to reporters (including Bradford) about J.D. Drew. "He hasn't announced anything, but he's there. He hasn't made any decisions. He's home." We heard Drew was "very likely" to retire back in January.
  • The Rangers payroll is approaching $127MM, but president and CEO Nolan Ryan told Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News that they won't be forced to dump any salary before the season.
  • Omar Vizquel understands that he has to win a spot on the Blue Jays roster in Spring Training, but he told Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com that he doesn't understand why more older players don't do try to do the same. "It's weird to see all these guys retire, and I'm still on the field," said the 44-year-old.

NL West Notes: Diamondbacks, Padres, Fielder

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We’ve checked in on the NL East and the NL Central this evening. Let’s complete the tour of the National League with this set of links…

  • GM Kevin Towers says he’s on the lookout for catching depth, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The Diamondbacks and Miguel Montero tabled extension talks for now and Arizona doesn’t have a frontline catcher in its system.
  • Padres pitching prospects Robbie Erlin, Joe Wieland and Andrew Cashner have impressed assistant GM A.J. Hinch early on in Spring Training, Corey Brock of MLB.com reports. 
  • It sounds like the Dodgers were the runner up in the Prince Fielder bidding, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. The Orioles appear to have come in third behind Los Angeles and Detroit. Heyman reported in January that the Dodgers offered Fielder a seven-year deal worth over $160MM.

Quick Hits: Cabrera, Marlins, Dodgers

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The deadline for NHL teams to make trades in preparation for their playoff runs passed this afternoon. Baseball's deadline is five long months away, but we've got these links to keep you going in the meantime…

NL West Links: Cain, Giants, Ethier, Quentin

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On this date in 1999, the Diamondbacks acquired Tony Womack from the Pirates for Jason Boyd and a minor leaguer. Womack hit .269/.314/.362 in five seasons with the D'Backs, helping the club to the 2001 World Championship. Here's the latest from the NL West…

  • Giants CEO Larry Baer wouldn't give away much regarding contract talks with Matt Cain except to say that they are "back and forth" and "ongoing," tweets Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com.
  • "I'm going to be respectful of the process here," said Baer to reporters (including MLB.com's Chris Haft) when asked about the Giants potentially relinquishing territorial rights to San Jose, allowing the Athletics to move. "You know, I think that's really important. The game is bigger than any internal machinations."
  • "I can't tell you what will happen with that," said Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick when asked about signing a contract extension after the team is sold at the end of April. "The only thing I can change is the way I play. Today is today, and that's all I can handle. I'm here to play for today." Ethier can become a free agent after the season.
  • Carlos Quentin is returning home to Southern California following his trade to the Padres, and Don Norcross of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote about the excitement he brings to the team.

West Links: Isringhausen, Giants, D’Backs, Dodgers

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Earlier today we learned that the Padres are still talking about a contract extension with Cameron Maybin and will receive a low-level minor leaguer from the Cubs in exchange for former GM Jed Hoyer. Here's the latest from baseball's two West divisions…

  • Jason Isringhausen's contract with the Angels includes a base salary between $700K and $1MM with incentives, reports Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
  • The Giants are not interested in Roy Oswalt, reports Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The right-hander will look to sign at midseason, but would likely want to play closer to his Mississippi home.
  • The Diamondbacks offered Hiroki Kuroda a one-year deal worth $13MM this offseason, Tom Krasovic of West Coast Bias tweeted earlier this month. That's $3MM more than he took from the Yankees
  • Joe Torre and Rick Caruso have withdrawn their joint bid to purchase the Dodgers, reports Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times. Caruso could re-enter the bidding if team owner Frank McCourt agrees to include the Dodger Stadium parking lots in the sale.
  • "There were a lot of nights when I woke up at 3 o'clock in the morning staring at the ceiling," said Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com when talking about the Michael Pineda–Jesus Montero trade negotiations. "In the end, it was pretty simple: [The Yankees] needed a pitcher, and we needed a hitter. I hated to give up a guy like Pineda."

Dodgers Claim Matt Angle

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The Dodgers have claimed outfielder Matt Angle off of waivers, Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com tweets. The Dodgers confirmed the news, noting that they moved Rubby De La Rosa to the 60-day DL in a corresponding move (Twitter link). The Orioles designated Angle for assignment to create roster space for Luis Ayala approximately two weeks ago.

Angle debuted with the 2011 Orioles, playing all three outfield positions, and posting a .559 OPS in 95 plate appearances. The 26-year-old spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .271/.347/.344 line in 489 plate appearances. He hit his first big league home run off of Justin Verlander in Detroit as the right-hander attempted to win his 25th game of the season.

West Links: Giants, Pudge, Abreu, Leach

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Here's the latest from baseball's two West divisions…

  • The Giants are not in the market for outfielders such as Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, and Bobby Abreu according to Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). They feel the lineup is too lefty-heavy as it is, and defense is a concern as well.
  • Ivan Rodriguez has fielded a few inquiries according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter), including one from the Diamondbacks. Pudge seeks a job with "real playing time," however.
  • Angels manager Mike Scioscia told MLB.com that he believes he can find regular playing time for Abreu, and that the veteran hitter won't be a distraction after saying he wanted to be traded.
  • The Dodgers have signed left-hander Brent Leach, reports Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The 29-year-old reliever appeared in 38 games for the Dodgers in 2009 (5.75 ERA), but spent last season in Japan.

Quick Hits: Lewis, Dodgers, Veteran Free Agents

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Passing along a few odds and ends as we wrap up Feb. 21. On this date in 1986, Rollie Fingers became a champion of mustachioed men everywhere long before Movember was an actual thing, opting to retire and preserve his trademark handlebar rather than accept a contract with the Reds, who at the time still had a no-facial-hair policy. On with the links …

  • The Rangers and Colby Lewis had "very small, limited talks" regarding a contract extension early in the offseason, the right-hander told T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. "They wanted to know how I felt. Nothing came of it this offseason. If something comes up, it will come up, but I'm not too concerned about it." Lewis is a projected free agent after this season.
  • Peter O'Malley, the former owner of the Dodgers, has withdrawn his bid for the franchise, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  O'Malley's group was one of 11 to advance to the second round of bidding, although O'Malley was apparently concerned that he might not be awarded the franchise even if he placed the highest bid, sources tell Shaikin.
  • Tom Verducci of SI.com has a look at a handful of veteran free agents who are getting the Storage B treatment, i.e. being pushed out of the game because their services are simply no longer in demand. Among the candidates are Ivan Rodriguez and Jason Varitek.

NL West Notes: Ethier, Giants, Suppan, Saito

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Jim Tracy's indefinite contract extension with the Rockies is the big headline out of the NL West today, but let's see what else is happening around the division.

  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said he would like to sign Andre Ethier to an extension and said he's had a few conversation with the outfielder about the topic, including a visit to Ethier's home over the offseason.  Colletti's remarks came during an interview with FOX Sports West during a Los Angeles Kings hockey game (video embedded by Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times).
  • With Ryan Vogelsong battling a back injury, Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com speculates that the Giants could be "scanning the free-agent ranks to find a last-minute arm or two."  In the meantime, Eric Surkamp and new acquisitions Brian Burres and Ramon Ortiz are being stretched out.
  • Jeff Suppan talks to MLB.com's Corey Brock about why the 37-year-old veteran is still trying to get back to the Major Leagues as a Padres non-roster invitee.
  • The Diamondbacks didn't have Takashi Saito take a physical before signing the reliever since the team thought he would fail it, GM Kevin Towers told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic).  "Mark Weidemaier, our advanced scout, was with him in L.A. and I think that they said four or five years ago that one pitch and his arm could go," Towers said.  “We thought that the skill-set and what he could bring to the club far outweighed the risk.”  Manager Kirk Gibson said Saito is being on a separate Spring Training schedule in order to help keep him healthy.
  • Gibson said he hasn't spoken to Gerardo Parra about the Diamondbacks' signing of Jason Kubel earlier this winter as the team's new everyday left fielder.  Piecoro thinks Parra "has a right to be unhappy" about losing his starting job despite winning a Gold Glove and a solid year at the plate in 2011, but as I wrote last month, Parra is still a key part of Arizona's future plans.

West Notes: Cruz, Cespedes, Dodgers, Padres

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Passing along a few stray items out of the West divisions …

  • Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz's two-year, $16MM contract is backloaded, according to the Associated Press (h/t Boston Herald). Cruz will earn $5MM in 2012, along with a $500K signing bonus, and will earn $10.5MM in 2013. The right-handed hitter can also earn up to an additional $500K based on plate appearances.
  • Yoenis Cespedes did not secure a no-trade clause in his contract with the Athletics, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, so the A's will have the option of trading off the outfielder if he becomes too expensive as he nears free agency after 2015.
  • The remaining bidders for the Dodgers will meet with MLB's ownership committee early next month, according to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press.
  • The Padres will receive a rights fee of $30MM in 2012 for their new TV deal with FOXSports, a source tells Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The source adds that the Friars could earn as much as $40MM this year depending on a signing bonus and other factors.
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