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Brewers Rumors

Brewers In Discussions With Matt Garza

By Jeff Todd | January 23, 2014 at 12:14pm CDT

The Brewers are in discussions with Matt Garza on a deal believed to be for four years and $52MM, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). News of the club's pursuit of Garza was first reported by MLB.com's Brewer Nation blog.

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Milwaukee Brewers Matt Garza

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Brewers Sign Lyle Overbay

By Steve Adams | January 23, 2014 at 12:19am CDT

JANUARY 23: Overbay will earn $1.5MM if he makes the Major League roster, plus another $750K in possible bonuses if he makes enough plate appearances, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports (Twitter link).  If Overbay isn't on the Brewers' Major League roster by March 22, he can opt out 48 hours later.

JANUARY 20: The Brewers have signed first baseman Lyle Overbay to a minor league deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training, the team's player development department announced on Twitter. Overbay is represented by Octagon.

Overbay, who turns 37 next week, is the second first base option the Brewers have brought on board via minor league deal in the past week, as the team also announced the signing of Mark Reynolds to a minor league pact last week (Reynolds, however, is said to be virtual lock to make the team). Overbay and Reynolds will see competition at first base from Juan Francisco, Sean Halton and Hunter Morris.

This will mark Overbay's second stint with the Brewers, as he enjoyed two strong seasons as the Brew Crew's everyday first baseman from 2004-05, slashing .289/.376/.464 with 35 homers and 87 doubles. Overbay's production has slipped following a seven-year peak in which he posted a 112 OPS+ from 2004-10. He spent the 2013 season with the Yankees, batting .240/.295/.393 in 486 plate appearances. His numbers against right-handed pitching were much better however, and his .258/.317/.432 triple-slash against opposing righties shows that he could be a platoon option for manager Ron Roenicke if he makes the club.

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Milwaukee Brewers Transactions Lyle Overbay

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Free Agent Notes: Brewers, Williams, Gaudin, Figgins, Tomko

By Jeff Todd | January 20, 2014 at 6:04pm CDT

With the signings of Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds to minor league deals, the Brewers seem likely to spend roster spots on both of the veterans. "[First base] is a position where we may have to mix and match with Overbay, Reynolds, Juan Francisco," GM Doug Melvin told MLB.com's Dick Kaegel. "We've got numbers now to work with and guys can come into camp and be competitive. … I didn't think we'd be able to sign both Reynolds and Overbay, but sometimes the situation with two guys doing it, you might get some production." 

Let's have a look at some notes on a few other free agents who are likely to end up with one-year or minor league deals:

  • The Phillies are not pursuing Jerome Williams at present in spite of prior interest, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Philadelphia does, however, have an offer out to a swingman whose identity is not presently known, according to Cotillo. (Twitter links.)
  • About a half-dozen teams are "in on" pitcher Chad Gaudin, who is expected to reach agreement soon, reports Cotillo (via Twitter). Last we checked in on Gaudin, the Phils were being floated as a possible landing spot.
  • Red Sox scouts actually were in attendance to watch infielder Chone Figgins work out last week, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Cafardo had recently reported to the contrary. The 35-year-old signed with the Marlins last spring, but did not make it out of camp with the organization.
  • Righty Brett Tomko, who is reportedly on the comeback trail at age 40, will throw for the Orioles on Friday, tweets Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. As MLBTR's Zach Links noted on Twitter, Tomko has received interest from multiple clubs and is said to be throwing in the low-90s.
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Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Milwaukee Brewers Philadelphia Phillies Brett Tomko Chad Gaudin Chone Figgins Jerome Williams

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NL Central Links: Wong, Reynolds, Baez, Cubs

By Steve Adams | January 20, 2014 at 10:38am CDT

The Cardinals' Kolten Wong sits atop the list of baseball's 10 best second base prospects compiled by Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com. As Mayo points out, St. Louis' trade of David Freese allows Matt Carpenter to move to third base, opening second for the highly touted University of Hawaii product. Rougned Odor, Mookie Betts, Arismendy Alcantara, Devon Travis, Jonathan Schoop, Taylor Lindsey, Eddie Rosario, Micah Johnson and Wilmer Flores round out the free list, which also includes scouting reports on each prospect. Here's more out of the NL Central…

  • Fangraphs' Mike Petriello writes that the Brewers' signing of Mark Reynolds is more beneficial to them than it would be another club due to Milwaukee's historically bad group of first basemen in 2013. If Reynolds can even play at replacement level, he'd provide a four-win improvement, and with Miller Park being among the four best parks in the game for right-handed power, Reynolds could be above replacement level. While it could be a nice move, Petriello continues, Reynolds serving as the offseason's biggest move isn't a defensible outcome. Milwaukee has yet to sign a big league free agent, but they also haven't pulled the trigger on a rebuild, making their offseason puzzling, he concludes.
  • Top Cubs prospect Javier Baez will begin the season playing shortstop at Triple-A, but he could also receive some work at second base to accelerate his path to the Majors, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com in a wrap-up piece from this week's Cubs Convention. Director of scouting and player development Jason McLeod tells Muskat that the goal is for Baez to play short for as long as he can, but McLeod concedes that the 21-year-old has a lot of work to do on defense.
  • Muskat also writes that McLeod and president Theo Epstein have some history with righty Justin Grimm, who was acquired in the July haul for Matt Garza. McLeod drafted Grimm when he and Epstein were with the Red Sox, but Grimm elected to honor his commitment to Georgia. When McLeod and Epstein were scouting one of his college games, Epstein walked down 15 rows to jokingly tell McLeod, "You're fired" after seeing Grimm unload an array of 97 mph fastballs.
  • McLeod told Muskat that the team has scouted Masahiro Tanaka "extensively" over the past few years and that the evaluation process is complete. "…we'll find out in the next week," McLeod said regarding the former Rakuten ace.
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Chicago Cubs Milwaukee Brewers St. Louis Cardinals Javier Baez Justin Grimm

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Players Avoiding Arbitration: Friday

By Steve Adams | January 17, 2014 at 10:26pm CDT

We'll keep track of today's smaller deals to avoid arbitration in this post. Click here for background on the upcoming arbitration schedule and how MLBTR is covering it. You can also check in on our Arbitration Tracker and look at MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz's arbitration projections.

Today's noon CT deadline to exchange arb figures has passed, but negotiations to avoid an arbitration hearing can continue into February. The Braves are the only strict "file and trial" team that did not agree to terms with all of its arb-eligible players, meaning they could be headed for several hearings. The Nats and Indians have also shown a willingness to go to a trial and still have some players unsigned. On to today's contract agreements…

  • After exchanging numbers, the Mets and pitcher Dillon Gee have agreed to settle at the midpoint of $3.625MM, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Swartz projected Gee to earn $3.4MM.
  • The Cubs have avoided arbitration with reliever Pedro Strop, president Theo Epstein told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). He will earn $1.325MM next year, according to a tweet from Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. It is not immediately apparent whether the deal was reached before the sides exchanged terms.
  • The Angels have reached agreement on a $3.8MM deal with reliever Ernesto Frieri, reports Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com (on Twitter). 
  • Mike Minor has agreed to terms on a $3.85MM deal with the Braves to avoid arbitration, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (Twitter links). The deal came before figures were exchanged, Bowman notes.
  • Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports that the D-Backs and lefty Joe Thatcher have avoided arb with a one-year, $2.375MM deal (Twitter link).
  • Nicholson-Smith tweets that the Angels and Fernando Salas reached an agreement to avoid arbitration. Salas is the first Halos player to avoid arb. Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets that Salas will earn $870K, which beats out his $700K projection.
  • MLB.com's Jason Beck reports (via Twitter) that the Tigers and righty Al Alburquerque have reached agreement on a deal to avoid arb. The hard-throwing righty will earn $837.5K in 2014, tweets Beck.
  • Sherman tweets that the Yankees and Ivan Nova avoided arbitration with a one-year, $3.3MM deal.
  • The Pirates and Vin Mazzaro inked a one-year, $950K deal in lieu of an arbitration hearing, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune.
  • The Royals announced that they've avoided arbitration with infielder Emilio Bonifacio. Heyman tweets that Bonifacio will earn $3.5MM in 2014.
  • Sherman reports that the Rays avoided arbitration with Jeremy Hellickson and Sean Rodriguez (Twitter link). Hellickson landed a $3.625MM payday with a $25K bonus if he hits 195 innings pitched. Rodriguez will get $1.475MM with a $25K bump for hitting 300 plate appearances.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets that Brian Matusz avoided arb with the Orioles. Sherman adds that he'll earn $2.4MM in 2014.
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Jason Castro and the Astros have avoided arbitration. McTaggart adds in a second tweet that Jesus Guzman avoided arb as well. Heyman reports that Castro will be paid $2.45MM, while Sherman tweets that Guzman will make $1.3MM.
  • The Indians tweeted that they've avoided arb with lefty Marc Rzepczynski, and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that he'll earn $1.375MM in 2014. Bastian adds that Scrabble will earn an additional $25K for appearing in 55 games and another $25K for 60 games.
  • The Giants avoided arbitration with Yusmeiro Petit, according to MLBTR's Steve Adams (on Twitter).  He'll earn $845K, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith (via Twitter).

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  • Cesar Ramos got $750K from the Rays in his deal, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. 
  • Sherman tweets that the Athletics' Craig Gentry will get $1.145MM on a one-year deal to avoid arbitration.
  • Jerry Blevins and the Nationals avoided arbitration, tweets Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com. He will earn $1.675MM for the year, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca.
  • Alejandro De Aza agreed to a $4.25MM deal with the White Sox, Sherman tweets.  Within the same tweet, Sherman says the Rays shook hands with Jose Lobaton on a $900K deal and James Russell agreed to a $1.775MM pact.
  • The White Sox and Gordon Beckham agreed to a one-year, $4.175MM deal, Sherman tweets.
  • The Brewers avoided arbitration with Marco Estrada and Juan Francisco, Sherman tweets.  Estrada gets $3.325MM with $100K in innings pitched bonuses while Francisco gets $1.35MM.
  • Mike Dunn agreed to a $1.4MM deal with the Marlins, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter). 
  • Pedro Alvarez will earn $4.25MM on his brand new deal with the Pirates, Sherman tweets.
  • The Nationals announced that they've struck an arb-avoiding deal with Wilson Ramos.  Ramos gets $2.095MM with the opportunity to get $105K more through plate appearance bonuses, per Sherman.
  • Alexi Ogando gets $2.625MM in 2014 from the Rangers, according to Sherman.
  • Mark Melancon will get $2.595MM after striking a deal with the Pirates, tweets Sherman.
  • Brandon Moss and the Athletics avoided arbitration with a $4.1MM pact, Sherman tweets.
  • The Red Sox and Jonathan Herrera avoided arbitration with a $1.3MM deal for 2014, Sherman tweets.
  • Brian Duensing has agreed to a $2MM deal with the Twins, according to Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press (via Twitter). Berardino adds in a second tweet that Anthony Swarzak also avoided arb with a $935K deal. The swingman will earn a $25K bonus if he starts 10 games.
  • The Rangers and Neftali Feliz agreed to a $3MM deal with bonuses of $25K for 50/55 games finished, Sherman tweets.
  • Jake McGee will earn $1.45MM in his new deal with the Rays, Sherman tweets.
  • The Royals and Eric Hosmer have agreed to a one-year, $3.6MM deal, Sherman tweets.
  • Mike Carp gets $1.4MM in his deal with the Red Sox, according to Sherman (via Twitter).
  • Bobby Parnell agreed to a one-year, $3.7MM with the Mets that can increase by $50K if he appears in 60 games, Sherman tweets.
  • The Braves avoided arbitration with Jordan Schafer with a $1.09MM deal, tweets Sherman.  Sherman adds that Andy Dirks and the Tigers have also avoided arbitration with a $1.625MM deal.  
  • Shawn Kelley and the Yankees dodged arbitration by agreeing to a $1.765MM deal for 2014, Sherman tweets.  Kelley, 29, has a career 3.77 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
  • The Red Sox agreed to a one-year, $1.275MM deal with Junichi Tazawa, according to Sherman (on Twitter).  Tazawa posted a 3.16 ERA in 2013 with 9.5 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9.
  • The Rockies avoided arbitration with Drew Stubbs by agreeing to a $4.1MM deal for 2014, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).  With the signing of Stubbs, the Rockies have now taken care of all of their arbitration-eligible players.
  • Kyle Blanks has avoided arbitration with the Padres by agreeing to a one-year, $988K deal, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (via Twitter). 
  • Sherman also reports (on Twitter) that the Giants have avoided arbitration with Gregor Blanco and Tony Abreu by agreeing to one-year deals that are worth $2.525MM and $745K, respectively.
  • The Cardinals and Peter Bourjos have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.2MM contract, tweets Sherman. Bourjos can earn another $150K based on plate appearances.
  • Gaby Sanchez and the Pirates have avoided arbitration with a one-year deal, according to Sanchez's agency, the Beverly Hills Sports Council (on Twitter). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that Sanchez will earn $2.3MM.
  • Sherman reports (via Twitter) that the Blue Jays also avoided arbitration with Esmil Rogers by agreeing to a one-year, $1.85MM contract.
  • The Nationals announced that in addition to their two-year deal with Jordan Zimmermann, they've also signed Drew Storen to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration. Sherman tweets that he'll earn $3.45MM in 2014 with an additional $1MM of incentives in his contract for games finished.
  • The Rockies and righty Juan Nicasio avoided arbitration with a one-year, $2.025MM contract, Sherman tweets.
  • The Blue Jays and lefty Brett Cecil have avoided arbitration with a one-year, $1.3MM pact, per Sherman (on Twitter).
  • Sherman tweets that the Rays and Matt Joyce agreed to a one-year, $3.7MM contract, thereby avoiding arbitration.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Reds have avoided arbitration with Alfredo Simon by agreeing to a one-year, $1.5MM contract (Twitter link).
  • Connolly also reports that the Orioles have avoided arbitration with Tommy Hunter (Twitter link). Currently the front-runner to serve as Baltimore's closer in 2014, Hunter will earn $3MM after posting a 2.81 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 86 1/3 innings for the O's in 2013.
  • Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles and Troy Patton have avoided arbitration (Twitter link). Patton topped Swartz's $1.2MM salary projection by earning a raise to $1.275MM, Connolly adds in a second tweet.. Patton will be suspended for the first 25 games of 2014 for amphetamine use.
  • The Twins and Trevor Plouffe have agreed to a one-year, $2.35MM contract, Sherman tweets. Plouffe saw his power numbers drop as he batted .254/.309/.392 with 14 homers in a career-high 522 plate appearances in 2013 (he'd belted 24 homers in 465 PAs in 2012). He figures to open the season as Minnesota's everyday third baseman but could eventually have competition from top prospect Miguel Sano.
  • Jon Jay and the Cardinals have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.25MM contract, according to Sherman (on Twitter). Jay batted .276/.351/.370 with the Cards in 2013 but struggled defensively (particularly in the playoffs) and will have center field competition in the form of offseason acquisition Peter Bourjos in 2014.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Phillies and John Mayberry Jr. have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.5875MM. Mayberry slashed .227/.286/.391 in 2013 and has a career .274/.321/.526 batting line against lefties. He came in just under Swartz's $1.7MM projection.
  • The Cubs and Luis Valbuena have also avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year pact, tweets Sherman. Valbuena will earn $1.71MM after slashing .218/.331/.378 and setting a new career-best with 12 homers in 2013. He exceeded Swartz's projection by $210K.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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Arizona Diamondbacks Atlanta Braves Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Guardians Colorado Rockies Detroit Tigers Houston Astros Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Angels Miami Marlins Milwaukee Brewers Minnesota Twins New York Mets New York Yankees Oakland Athletics Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Washington Nationals Al Alburquerque Alejandro De Aza Alexi Ogando Alfredo Simon Bobby Parnell Brandon Moss Brett Cecil Brian Duensing Brian Matusz Chris Johnson Craig Gentry Dillon Gee Drew Storen Drew Stubbs Emilio Bonifacio Eric Hosmer Ernesto Frieri Esmil Rogers Gaby Sanchez Gordon Beckham Gregor Blanco Ivan Nova Jake McGee James Russell Jason Castro Jeremy Hellickson Jerry Blevins Jesus Guzman Joe Thatcher John Mayberry Jr. Jon Jay Jonathan Herrera Jordan Schafer Jose Lobaton Juan Francisco Juan Nicasio Junichi Tazawa Kyle Blanks Luis Valbuena Marc Rzepczynski Mark Melancon Matt Joyce Mike Dunn Neftali Feliz Pedro Alvarez Pedro Strop Peter Bourjos Sean Rodriguez Shawn Kelley Tommy Hunter Tony Abreu Trevor Plouffe Troy Patton Vin Mazzaro Wilson Ramos Yusmeiro Petit

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Brewers Sign Mark Reynolds

By Steve Adams | January 17, 2014 at 9:38am CDT

9:38am: Reynolds will receive a $2MM base salary and can also earn $500K worth of incentives if he makes the team, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Like Haudricourt, Heyman notes that Reynolds is a "near lock" to make the team.

9:27am: The Brewers have officially signed Mark Reynolds to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Brewers director of media relations Mike Vassallo (on Twitter). The two sides were said to be nearing a deal last night. Reynolds is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council.

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel noted last night that while Reynolds was likely to sign a minor league deal, the Brewers had told him he would almost certainly make the club out of Spring Training and will be in the mix for at-bats at first base.

Reynolds, who is entering his age-30 season, was outstanding for the Indians in the first quarter of the 2013 season, as he slashed a robust .268/.354/.580 with 12 homers in 40 games (39 starts). From May 19 through Aug. 4, however, Reynolds slumped to just a .178/.274/.228 line with three homers in 59 games. That cold stretch led to his release in Cleveland. He eventually latched on with the Yankees and batted .236/.300/.455 in 120 PAs with the Bombers.

Reynolds offers the Brewers a potential everyday option at first base if he can rediscover some consistency at the plate, and he can also serve as a platoon partner for the lefty-swinging Juan Francisco at the very least. A career .233/.329/.464 hitter with 202 homers in 3947 PAs, Reynolds has long been an "all-or-nothing" type of hitter. He averaged 38 homers per season from 2009-11 with the Diamondbacks and Orioles but has also led his league in strikeouts on four separate occasions and still holds the single-season record for strikeouts by a hitter with 223.

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Milwaukee Brewers Transactions Mark Reynolds

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Brewers Close To Signing Mark Reynolds

By Steve Adams | January 16, 2014 at 6:27pm CDT

6:27pm: MLB.com's Adam McCalvy tweets that the Brewers are looking at Reynolds to be their everyday first baseman. Rosenthal adds in a followup tweet that the deal is expected to be a minor league contract.

5:50pm: The Brewers are close to signing Reynolds, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

5:46pm: The Brewers are making a push to sign corner infielder Mark Reynolds, and he's leaning toward signing with Milwaukee, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). The Beverly Hills Sports Council client could help the Brewers address their first base need.

Reynolds was said yesterday to be weighing offers with the intent to sign in the near future, though the Brewers are a bit of a surprising destination. The most recent reports on Reynolds indicated that the Orioles, Twins, Yankees, Nationals and Rangers were the most interested parties.

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Milwaukee Brewers Mark Reynolds

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Brewers Sign Zach Duke

By Jeff Todd | January 15, 2014 at 4:29pm CDT

The Brewers have agreed to a minor league deal with lefty Zach Duke, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter). The deal includes a Spring Training invitation.

Duke, 30, struggled early last year with the Nationals, posting a 8.71 ERA in his first 20 2/3 innings. But the southpaw turned things around upon joining the Reds, allowing less than an earned run per nine during his 10 2/3 innings in Cincinnati. Since losing his job as an everyday starter after the 2010 season, Duke has bounced around the league as a middle reliever.

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Minor Moves: Rodriguez, Golson, Christian, Martinez, Donald, Marrero, Carroll

By Steve Adams | January 13, 2014 at 10:22pm CDT

Here are today's minor moves and outright assignments from around the league…

  • The Rays have signed catcher Eddy Rodriguez to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation, MLB.com's Corey Brock tweeted earlier today. Most recently a Padres farmhand, Rodriguez has just seven MLB plate appearances to his name. (Notably, he appears on the short list of players to have hit a home run in their first trip to the plate, sandwiched chronologically between Starling Marte and Jurickson Profar.) Playing at the Double-A and Triple-A level last year, Rodriguez managed a .231/.271/.374 line in 299 plate appearances.
  • Outfielder Greg Golson has signed a minor league pact with the Brewers, the club announced via Twitter (hat tip to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Golson, 28, has seen sporadic big league action over parts of four seasons, but hasn't had a crack at the show since 2011. A first round pick of the Phillies back in 2004, Golson spent time in the Rockies and Braves systems last year, putting up a composite .249/.313/.392 line with 19 stolen bases.
  • The Rays have inked outfielder Justin Christian to a minor league deal that includes a Spring Training invite, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 33-year-old has not seen MLB time since 2012, and has a career .203.255/.266 line in 155 plate appearances over three seasons. Last year, playing at Triple-A for the Cardinals organization, Christian put up a .270/.332/.353 triple-slash in 411 plate appearances.
  • The Marlins acquired minor league shortstop Hiram Martinez from the Athletics in exchange for cash considerations last week, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports in his latest minor transactions roundup. The 21-year-old played in the Mexican League last year and batted .222/.265/.254 in 56 games (just 69 plate appearances).
  • Also from Eddy, the Royals have signed former Indians infielder Jason Donald to a minor league deal. One of the four players acquired by Cleveland in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Phillies, Donald is a career .257/.309/.362 hitter that hasn't appeared in the bigs since 2012. The 29-year-old batted .219/.268/.319 in 271 plate appearances for the Reds' Triple-A affiliate in 2013.
  • The White Sox have signed first baseman Christian Marrero to a minor league deal and re-signed right-hander Scott Carroll to a minor league pact as well, per the team's transactions page. The ChiSox originally drafted Marrero in 2005, but he spent the past two seasons in the Pirates and Braves organizations. The 27-year-old is a career .273/.361/.434 hitter in the minors, but he has just 76 games at the Triple-A level. The 29-year-old Carroll has a 5.14 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 232 2/3 innings in his Triple-A career.
  • As can be seen in MLBTR's DFA Tracker, the Yankees' Vernon Wells is the only player that is currently in DFA limbo.
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Brewers Notes: Aoki, Melvin, Loney, First Base

By Mark Polishuk | January 12, 2014 at 12:51pm CDT

The trade of Norichika Aoki to the Royals for southpaw Will Smith was "was coaxed primarily by Aoki's agent to assure more playing time," Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes.  Khris Davis' impressive rookie season put him in line for a starting job in 2014, and with Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez locked into the other two starting outfield spots, Aoki was looking at a reduced role with the Brewers next season.

Here's some more Brewers news from Haudricourt's chat with Brewers GM Doug Melvin…

  • Melvin reiterated his stance that the Brewers' lack of major offseason moves is due to the belief that the team will improve simply with the continued development of young players and the returns of suspended or injured stars like Braun or Aramis Ramirez.
  • The Brewers pursued James Loney, who instead re-signed with the Rays for a three-year, $21MM contract.  "We knew if he had the same deal he was probably going to go back to Tampa," Melvin said.  Indeed, Loney said that he chose the Rays' contract over similar offers from not just the Brewers, but also the Pirates and Astros.
  • Melvin cited some interest in Justin Morneau, who signed with the Rockies last month, but the GM sounded as if he wasn't particularly enamored with the free agent options at first base.  "The list wasn't very good. It's one of those years where the position we needed, there were fewer opportunities to get someone," Melvin said.
  • In also noting that the trade market for first baseman was thin, Melvin acknowledged he had at least had discussions with the Rangers and Mariners.  "There just aren't available guys. Texas, at this point, is not willing to talk about [Mitch] Moreland. Seattle is not interested in moving their guys. So, there aren't a lot of choices."
  • The Brewers didn't have much available payroll space this offseason but extra money would've been there if the situation warranted.  "We haven't increased it that much, but if the right player was there I would go to (team owner) Mark (Attanasio) and say it's the right player," Melvin said.  "When it comes to payroll, we're always guarded to make sure that we don't put ourselves in a hole or a bind that we can't get out of two years from now or three years from now. Our payroll will be in a much better position next year in that regard."  The Brewers have only $39.1MM committed for 2015 as Ramirez, Yovani Gallardo and Tom Gorzelanny all come off the books next winter, plus Rickie Weeks seems unlikely to receive the 600 PA he needs this season to trigger his $11.5MM vesting option for 2015.
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