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Quick Hits: Tigers, White Sox, Yankees

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Alfredo Aceves has irked his bosses in Boston, but shipping him to another team wouldn’t necessarily be easy for the Red Sox. One general manager told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that Aceves has next to no trade value. "Not if you know him," the GM said (Twitter link). Here are more links from around MLB…

  • Lynn Henning of the Detroit News explains how the Tigers nearly failed to sign prospect Nick Castellanos after they drafted him in the summer of 2010.
  • MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince looks around the AL Central to see if any of the re-tooled teams can challenge the Tigers in 2013.
  • In a video clip on MLB.com, White Sox GM Rick Hahn discusses the organization’s approach to remaining competitive while undergoing cycles of team building. Hahn highlighted the importance of monitoring the strengths and weaknesses of division opponents while remaining realistic about one’s own organization. 
  • Turning to the team’s present situation, Hahn opined that Chicago is poised to compete in 2013 and discussed the team’s handling of young starter Chris Sale.
  • Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan questions and analyzes Brian Cashman’s claims that the Yankees are committed to and successful at developing homegrown starting pitching. The piece details each team’s success at developing pitching in recent years.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Alfonso Soriano Would Consider Trades

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Alfonso Soriano insists that his top priority hasn’t changed since signing a $136MM contract with the Cubs following the 2006 season. He said he still aims to win a World Series, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. But trade rumors involving Soriano persist, and the left fielder doesn’t want to be a part of a losing team.

"If we have a bad start, I have to think about moving somewhere else," he said.

Soriano said he has given the Cubs about six or seven teams to which he’d consider trades. The list includes the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Phillies and White Sox, according to the Sun-Times. Soriano, whose contract includes a full-no trade clause, has maintained an open dialogue with Cubs executives about the possibility of a trade.

"I don’t control that situation," Soriano said. “I’m just going day-by-day and see what happens and try to focus on my spring training to get ready for my season."

The 37-year-old has two years and $36MM remaining on his contract with the Cubs. He posted a .262/.322/.499 batting line with 32 home runs in 2012.

Cafardo On Arroyo, Wang, Perez, Dodgers, Oswalt

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The Rays shed about $28MM of payroll this winter between B.J. Upton, James Shields, Carlos Pena, Jeff Keppinger, J.P. Howell, and Wade Davis, but that's no problem for the confident organization, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  While the team will look different in several areas this season, they'll still have their typically strong pitching.  The first four of the rotation are set with David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, Alex Cobb with a competition between four strong candidates for the No. 5 spot.  Here's more from today's column..

  • Bronson Arroyo has been a consistent pitcher for the Reds, but the feeling from most people and the pitcher himself is that this could be his last year in Cincinnati.  One major league source says the Cubs would be a perfect fit as a strong veteran presence in their rebuilding effort. 
  • Agent Alan Nero said he has taken Chien-Ming Wang off the market until he pitches for Taiwan in the World Baseball Classic.  If he pitches well, the veteran should have a healthy market for a team in need of depth.  The Yankees are keeping tabs on Wang despite already having six starters in the fold.
  • While there’s more focus on where Alfonso Soriano might be dealt, David DeJesus could also be a nice midseason chip for the Cubs.  The outfielder would be a solid fit for a few teams, including the Phillies, Orioles, and Red Sox. 
  • It looks like the Indians will hold on to Chris Perez for now, but the Dodgers had serious interest in him not too long ago.  If Tribe gets off to a slow start, L.A's interest could be something to keep in mind.
  • The Red Sox have discussed first baseman/outfielder Mike Carp, who was designated for assignment last week by the Mariners, as a backup.  There may not be room, however, as they are committed to Lyle Overbay.  Overbay has asked the Red Sox if he could play some outfield as well this season.
  • Roy Oswalt still hasn't officially retired and he could be leaving the door open to join a club during the season.  Recently, we learned that the Mets tried to sell Oswalt on becoming their closer in 2013, but the veteran isn't interested in the bullpen.
  • Teams will pay attention to out-of-options Red Sox reliever Clayton Mortensen in spring training. The 27-year-old looks to be the odd man out the way the Sox bullpen could be configured.

East Notes: Yankees, Hughes, Zimmermann, Mets

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As the Yankees and Phil Hughes negotiated their one-year, $7.15MM deal for 2013, the topic of an extension hardly came up, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.  As a pitcher, Hughes says that he never expected a long-term deal out of the Yankees before reaching free agency.  At the same time, it sounds as though he'd like to stay in the Bronx for the long-term.  “The Yankees are the ones who drafted me; they’re like a second family. For me to say I’d be neutral [about leaving New York] would be dishonest," said Hughes.  Here's more out of the AL and NL East..

  • Jordan Zimmermann would be open to listening on a multi-year extension, but so far nothing has happened on that front, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  The Nationals and the right-hander avoided arbitration with a one-year, $5.35MM deal yesterday.
  • Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) believes that Mets Triple-A manager Wally Backman would be a great big league manager, but he has a feeling that it will happen elsewhere and not with the Mets.  If the Mets don't bring back Terry Collins next year, Martino expects the club to go with a younger skipper. 
  • Jair Jurrjens' contract with the Orioles is now a minor league deal rather than a guaranteed pact, but the pitcher says he's not overly concerned about it, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  The two sides first agreed to a $1.5MM contract with incentives potentially pushing the figure to $4MM, but red flags on his physical led to the O's insisting on a reworked deal.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Wang, Orioles, Abreu

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Here's a look at the latest out of the American League East..

  • Despite having six candidates for five rotation spots, the Yankees are keeping tabs on former ace Chien-Ming Wang, writes George A. King III of the New York Post.  Wang threw off a mound for Yanks spring training pitching instructor Billy Connors at his Tampa area home recently and put on an impressive performance.
  • The Orioles may consider signing outfielder Bobby Abreu, but first plan to “see what they have in camp,”tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Heyman previously reported that theMarlins and Rays could be in the mix for the 38-year-old Abreu.
  • Rays manager Joe Maddon plans to provide right-hander Roberto Hernandez, the pitcher previously known as Fausto Carmona, with an opportunity to earn a spot in the starting rotation, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  As Maddon explained, the Rays will“treat [Hernandez] as a starter and then revert back” to a relief role should he fail to beat out other starting options, including Jeff Niemann and Chris Archer.  Also of note, Maddon said that righty Alex Cobb is “pretty much ensconced” as the Rays’ fourth starter.

Jeff Todd contributed to this post.

Yankees Notes: Cano, Hughes, Prospects

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It was 100 years ago today that legendary announcer Mel Allen was born in Birmingham, Alabama.  Allen is best remembered as the voice of the Yankees from 1939 to 1964, though his long career also included Indians play-by-play, NFL and college football games and hosting This Week In Baseball from 1977 until his death in 1996.

Here are a few Yankee-related items that may make you say "How a-BOUT that?!"…

  • Robinson Cano and the Yankees aren't making much progress in their initial contract talks, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports.  There is "a significant difference in either talent assessment or valuation" between the two sides.  The Yankees see Cano as a top-10 or top-15 player in the game, while agent Scott Boras sees his client as a top-five talent — a small gap on paper, but one worth tens of millions in negotiations.  If Cano does hit the open market, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes cites the second baseman as "the clear number one choice" as the best free agent of the 2013-14 offseason.
  • When Phil Hughes worked out his one-year deal with the Yankees for 2013, "the topic of an extension was hardly mentioned," Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger writes.  Hughes is eligible for free agency after the season but he doesn't expect New York to try and lock him up early.  “Coming up with this organization as a pitcher, you know you’re not going to be signed long-term before (free agency),” Hughes said. “Nobody tells you. You just know. No pitcher is getting a long-term deal before free agency.”
  • The Yankees' best prospects are in the lower levels of their farm system, which an executive tells MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince is due in part to the club lack of success at finding quality waiver claim pickups or minor league free agents, but also because New York is always successful and thus drafting near the end of the first round.  "Depth is an issue in the very short run, but the talent they have coming up in the system is actually surprisingly good," the executive said.  "It's impossible to draft a lot of talent with later and limited picks."

Yankees Acquire Shawn Kelley

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The Yankees have acquired right-hander Shawn Kelley from the Mariners in exchange for outfielder Abraham Almonte, according to Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune (on Twitter).  The Mariners designated Kelley for assignment on Thursday to make roster space for Kelly Shoppach.

Kelley, 28, appeared in 47 games for the Mariners in 2012, posting a 3.25 ERA with 9.1 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, and a 28.8% ground ball rate in 44 1/3 innings.  The right-hander will earn $930K in 2013.

Meanwhile, Almonte will give the M's some much needed minor league depth at the centerfielder position and can also play the corners.  The 23-year-old spent last season in Double-A, hitting .276/.350/.392 in 78 games.

Quick Hits: Indians, Yankees, Bailey

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The latest links from around MLB…

  • The Indians are getting calls on Michael Brantley and Drew Stubbs following their four-year deal with Michael Bourn, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Though the Indians currently plan to keep both Brantley and Stubbs, some people suspect Stubbs will be dealt.
  • Daisuke Matsuzaka said part of the reason he signed with the Indians was the chance to compete against his former team, the Red Sox, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports (on Twitter).
  • Andrew Bailey told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he loves playing with the Red Sox, even if he's not the team's closer.
  • Yankees manager Joe Girardi isn't sure if Andy Pettitte will retire after 2013, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (Twitter links). "I think Andy still loves to compete," Girardi said, acknowledging that it’ll ultimately be up to the left-hander himself.  Pettitte will celebrate his 41st birthday this summer and while he doesn’t seem ready to retire, he said he doesn’t intend to decide until after the 2013 season.
  • Mariano Rivera said he has decided whether 2013 will be his final season, according to Curry (Twitter links). The Yankees closer won’t reveal his decision just yet, but will do so before the regular season begins.
  • Homer Bailey said he and the Reds would prefer to avoid an arbitration hearing if possible, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. “It’s kind of a slow process. We’ll see how it goes and go from there,” Bailey said. The right-hander has a hearing scheduled for Monday after filing for $5.8MM. The Reds, who recently avoided arbitration with Mat Latos and Shin-Soo Choo, offered $4.75MM.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Carp, Rodney, Orioles

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The 2013 Yankees don't project to have as much depth as recent New York teams, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. This could make the club vulnerable, though the possibility of a championship still exists given the talent in place. Here are some more notes from the AL East…

  • The Red Sox might be interested in Mike Carp, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes (on Twitter). Carp, who was recently designated for assignment by the Mariners, is a left-handed hitter with a career batting line of .255/.327/.413. The Red Sox have discussed Carp internally without deciding whether to pursue him, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter).
  • Tampa Bay closer Fernando Rodney said he has not had extension talks with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Rodney, who is set to hit free agency this coming offseason, said he would be open to a new deal with the Rays. He indicated multiple times this winter that he was nearing a deal with the Rays, but said today that his previous comments were mis-interpreted.
  • While the Orioles considered trades for offense, they were reluctant to part with arms in potential deals, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. “I'd rather hold on to our young pitchers,'' executive VP of baseball operations Dan Duquette said. Though the Orioles didn't make headlines this winter, Heyman notes that Duquette earned the benefit of the doubt with Baltimore's strong showing in 2012.

New York Notes: Yankees, Bourn, Santana

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Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters today that his team is capable of winning 95 games and the World Series. "If we play up to our capabilities, I believe we're a very good team," Girardi said (via Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News on Twitter). Here are some more links from New York as the Yankees and Mets begin Spring Training…

  • Girardi said one of his biggest Spring Training concerns is finding a right-handed designated hitter, Feinsand reports (on Twitter). Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz could provide offense from the right side to complement lefty bats such as Travis Hafner and Dan Johnson.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports expects Derek Jeter to be a valuable contributor for the Yankees in 2013, even if this is the year the Yankees falter as a team.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Mets' interest in Michael Bourn "was essentially an empty pursuit" since the team wasn't about to sign Bourn without assurances that they'd keep their 11th overall draft pick. The Mets never made a firm bid for Bourn, and their suggestions did not include options for 2017. Sherman reported last night that the Mets made Bourn a four-year offer before he agreed to terms with the Indians.
  • Johan Santana said he's not thinking about the trade deadline or free agency, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). The left-hander will earn $25.5MM in 2013 and his contract includes a $25MM club option for 2014. Presumably the Mets will choose the $5.5MM buyout over the option.
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