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Mets To Sign Livan Hernandez

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According to Christian Red of the New York Daily News, the Mets have agreed to sign Livan Hernandez to a minor league deal worth $1MM plus incentives. Hernandez can earn another $1MM in performance bonuses according to Red’s source.

Red points out that this signing is "another indicator that free agent Pedro Martinez will likely wear another uniform this season." Regis Courtemanche of MetsBlog writes that Omar Minaya said this morning the Mets’ rotation is set without Pedro, but Newsday’s David Lennon doesn’t rule out a Pedro return.

Will Ohman May Sign Soon

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Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that Will Ohman "has received three offers in the past 48 hours and four overall, according to a major-league source, and is expected to reach a decision Wednesday or Thursday."

Cameron Smith of the Washington Post has additional information today.  He says Ohman received four offers from NL clubs in the past two days, the Phillies and Mets not among them.  Cameron speculates that NL Central clubs may be involved.

Mets Ink Valentin To Minor League Deal

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets have signed infielder Jose Valentin to a minor league contract.

Valentin will be invited to spring training and can earn $800K if he makes the squad.  He should provide adequate backup to Luis Castillo this season and could get a good amount of at-bats if Castillo continues to struggle.  Valentin was the Mets’ starting second baseman in 2006, when he hit .271 and 18 home runs.

Latest On Bobby Abreu

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4:54pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman lists five teams considering Abreu: the Angels, Braves, Pirates, Reds, and Mets.  The Pirates are a new one.

3:58pm: A source told Crasnick that the Angels have "strong interest" in Abreu.  The Braves remain in the mix.

10:33am: Here’s what ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick had to say regarding the market for Bobby Abreu yesterday:

While Seattle and Atlanta are monitoring Abreu’s status and staying in contact with his representatives, the Mets continue to maintain they’re not in the mix.

Meanwhile Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News wrote this morning:

A Mets official did not rule out signing free-agent outfielder Abreu, but indicated that any contract likely would have to be for one year at less than $4MM.

Other teams loosely linked to Abreu in recent days: the White Sox, Angels, and Dodgers.  Abreu is in line for a huge pay cut from last year’s $16MM.  The remarkably quiet market for Abreu and other corner outfielders this offseason is tied strongly to defense.  ESPN’s Peter Gammons talked to a GM who said a few days ago:

I still believe that one of the factors that has hurt some of the good offensive free agents this winter, like Manny Ramirez, Abreu and Adam Dunn, is the concern about how many runs they give back defensively. There is a great deal more appreciation for defense than there was a decade ago.

Phillies Rumors: Will Ohman, Dennys Reyes

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Cameron Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the latest on the Phillies’ pursuit of a reliever.

Will Ohman’s agent Page Odle spoke of a "real good positive conversation" with the Phillies over the past week, but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said the dollars would have to be "extremely modest."  Odle said Ohman is open to a one-year deal with a contender.  The Mets are the other main suitor, but they are also in bargain mode.

Smith spoke to Dennys Reyes, who said his agent has been talking to the Dodgers and A’s.  But Reyes did talk to the Phillies back in December.  He is also focused on signing with a contender.

The Phils do have in-house options, plus Amaro suggested he could find a righthanded reliever with the ability to retire lefties.

Perrotto’s Latest: Angels, Mets, Mariners

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John Perrotto’s Sunday column is up, now called On The Beat (like his Wednesday articles) instead of Every Given Sunday.

According to the article, the Angels plan to use Kendry Morales at first base, and a combination of Juan Rivera, Gary Matthews, Jr., and Reggie Willits in left field and designated hitter. Perrotto quotes GM Tony Reagins: "In our situation, you get to the point where you have young players with talent who have been given some chances at the major league level, but have not had the opportunity to play every day. We feel it’s time to allow those players that opportunity."

Perrotto reports the Angels had a fixed dollar figure that included the money they did not wind up spending on Mark Teixeira; however, not signing Teixeira does not mean they feel the need to spend the money without improving the ballclub. They still appear to be a team in the prime position to sign Adam Dunn, Manny Ramirez, or Bobby Abreu.

And a couple notes from around the Majors:

  • The Mariners have "mild" interest in Garrett Anderson to play left-field.
  • The Mets are trying to trade catcher Ramon Castro. They would rather spend less to have Robinson Cancel as Brian Schneider’s backup.

Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Red Sox Non-Roster Invitees

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Some Odds and Ends around the league:

  • In a good piece by Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, Nats GM Jim Bowden says Stephen Strasburg is "as good a pitcher as we’ve seen in the draft in 10 or 15 years." He could be in the rotation as soon as September. Amusingly, Strasburg’s mother described Scott Boras, who is advising the phenom, as a "Rottweiler."
  • WEEI’s Alex Speier lists the Red Sox 19 non-roster invitees. 13 of them have Major League experience. Brad Wilkerson is also expected to be present.
  • David Lennon of Newsday.com reports that Omar Minaya has achieved his offseason goals. "The reality is that we’ve pretty much filled all our priorities," Minaya said. "I’m set to go with this team."
  • Phil Rogers touches on the absence of interest in Frank Thomas who is not working out while he’s out of camp. Rogers notes the Players Association needs to organize a spring training camp for out-of-work players. He suggests the White Sox abandoned Tucson complex.

Cafardo’s Latest: Manny, Sheets, Glavine

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The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo shares some notes on Manny Ramirez and around the league. Let’s have a look, bullet-point style:

  • He cites an AL Exec who says, "I’ll be honest, I never thought Ramirez would walk away from… one year, $25 million. That’s better than the $20 million option he had torn up… If he has another great year, he gets another $25 million for one year? Or maybe a team then decides, ’OK, this guy has behaved himself for a while, continues to produce at a high level now, let’s commit for another two years to him.’ Unless a team like the Yankees comes in at the last minute and gets it done, I just don’t see where he’s going to make more than $25 million." Cafardo adds that "Brian Cashman insists it won’t happen."
  • A quote from Rich Hill on his being traded to the Orioles: "[Cubs general manager] Jim Hendry really took care of me. He wanted to create an opportunity for me that he told me probably didn’t exist in Chicago, so I’m grateful. I know Baltimore tried to deal for me last year and it didn’t work out, but this time they made it work." Hill also adds that he’s over his back injury and will rediscover his control.
  • Ben Sheets not signing anywhere until June hurts the Brewers two-fold: they may have to foot the bill for the surgery and won’t receive a first round draft pick for losing a Type-A free agent. Sheets has a torn flexor tendon, as revealed by an exam with the Texas Rangers. On the other hand, MLBTR has noted that in June, after his surgery, he won’t cost a draft pick to sign.
  • Andruw Jones on playing in Boston: "It’s too cold there. There’s too much stuff going on."
  • Bobby Abreu may have to settle for a one or two year deal at $3MM. Cafardo lists the Angels, Mets, Braves, Dodgers, and Mariners.
  • Expect an incentive-laden deal for one year between Tom Glavine and the Braves. As MLBTR has noted, their latest offer was between $1-2MM with no incentives.
  • Mark Mulder could be a useful back end starter and he’s almost ready to put himself on display to teams.
  • Shea Hillenbrand is 32 and receiving no interest. Cafardo wonders if he’s "being punished for past transgressions?"
  • Cubs, White Sox, and Dodgers are lined up for Orlando Hudson; however, the transfer of ownership may have temporarily tied the hands of Jim Hendry to do anything until Tom Ricketts takes over.
  • The A’s are continuously interested in Orlando Cabrera, Adam Dunn, and Abreu.

The Corner Outfield-DH Market

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There are still many jobless players who could contribute as a corner outfielder or a DH, so it’s a good time to take stock of the market. Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu are the big names, but Garret Anderson, Andruw Jones, Luis Gonzalez, Jim Edmonds and Ken Griffey Jr. want jobs and Jermaine Dye, Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher could be available through trades.

Here’s a look at the teams who have reportedly had interest in this type of player, starting in the AL:

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