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NL Central Notes: Brewers, Betemit, Wood, Young

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Some tidbits from the NL Central….

  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, GM Doug Melvin and agent Scott Boras (who represents Prince Fielder) had a meeting late last night that Melvin tells Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was unplanned and more of a check-in session.  "Scott just said he wanted to give us an update," Melvin said.  "You never really close the door on anything because you don't know what's going to happen. You can't really read anything into it."
  • Haudricourt doesn't think the meeting is a sign that the Brewers could re-sign Fielder, believing that "Boras basically was giving them a chance to jump in and make an offer that he could shop around to other clubs….More likely, [the team] gave an indication of what they might be willing to do if Fielder decided he wanted to seriously entertain the possibility of staying in Milwaukee."
  • Boras also represents Francisco Rodriguez, and Haudricourt reports the Brewers "got the feeling" in speaking to the agent that Rodriguez will reject the club's arbitration offer today.
  • The Pirates are no longer pursuing Wilson Betemit, reports Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link).  Biertempfel reported yesterday that the Bucs were close to deals with both Betemit and Nate McLouth, and the club agreed to terms on McLouth's contract today.
  • Kerry Wood wants to return to the Cubs but wants a raise, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Wood has said he will either pitch for Chicago next season or retire, and last winter signed a one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Cubs that was well below what other teams offered him. 
  • The Reds have spoken to the un-retired Dmitri Young, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).  Young, 38, has lost 70 pounds and is looking to make a comeback in either the Major Leagues or Japan.  Young played in Cincinnati from 1998-2001.
  • The Astros are looking at Marlins assistant GM Dan Jennings as a candidate for their open general manager's job, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).  Jennings' name has been connected to several GM openings in recent years but the Marlins have turned down at least four clubs' requests for interviews.  Jennings is under contract to Miami for four more years.

Pirates Sign Nate McLouth

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The Pirates have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Nate McLouth, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It's a big league deal worth $1.75MM, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  The Pirates have officially announced the signing.

The deal represents a reunion for the Pirates and McLouth, who was drafted by Pittsburgh in 2000 and spent nearly a decade in the organization before being traded to the Braves in 2009. After a disappointing two and a half year stint in Atlanta, the Braves declined McLouth's option for 2012, making him a free agent.

MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch and Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported earlier today that the Pirates were getting close to a deal to bring back McLouth.

Pirates Sign Erik Bedard

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The Pirates have agreed to sign lefty Erik Bedard, MLBTR has confirmed.  Canadian journalist Marc Brassard first tweeted news of an impending $4.5MM deal, and the Pirates have since announced the deal.  Bedard is represented by SFX.

Bedard, 32, is coming off his healthiest season since 2007.  This year for the Mariners and Red Sox he posted a 3.62 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 0.97 HR/9, and 42% groundball rate in 129 1/3 innings.  He missed time with knee and lat sprains, which wasn't too bad after shoulder surgeries limited him to 164 innings for 2008-09.  The signing has upside for the Pirates, who needed some depth after losing Paul Maholm to free agency.  Additionally, Charlie Morton had hip surgery in October and could miss the start of the season.

Pirates Sign Jose Morales

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The Pirates announced today they've signed catcher Jose Morales to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first tweeted the near-agreement last night.

Morales, 28, has a .289/.365/.344 career batting line in 252 big league plate appearances for the Twins and Rockies.  This year at Triple-A he hit .264/.350/.380 in 295 plate appearances.

NL Central Rumors: Astros, Reds, Saito, Bedard

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Tuesday night updates out of the NL Central, as MLBTR's 24-hour coverage of the Winter Meetings continues….

  • Rival executives view Rockies assistant GM Bill Geivett as the favorite for the Astros' GM job, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
  • Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner hears (Twitter link) that the Astros may select a reliever with the first pick of Thursday's Rule 5 draft.
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty talked about the team's search for pitching, and MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has the quotes. Jocketty also said Edgar Renteria's reps had contacted him, but the Reds probably aren't interested in signing him.
  • All signs are pointing to the Brewers bringing back Takashi Saito on a one-year deal, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • Erik Bedard is drawing interest from the Pirates, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Pirates Close To Deals With Betemit, McLouth

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4:41pm: The Pirates are closing in on a one-year deal with McLouth, says MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. She adds that the agreement isn't expected to be finalized until Wednesday.

4:14pm: The Pirates are moving closer to deals with Wilson Betemit and Nate McLouth, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

We heard yesterday about Pittsburgh's interest in a reunion with McLouth, who hit .228/.344/.333 in 321 appearances with the Braves this season. Betemit, meanwhile, did not receive an arbitration offer from the Tigers and hit the free agent market coming off a season in which he posted a .795 OPS in 359 plate appearances in Detroit and Kansas City.

Pirates, Mariners, Twins Interested In Jeff Francis

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1:06pm: Francis' agent will also meet with the Pirates and Twins this week, tweets Morosi.

TUESDAY, 11:04am: The Mariners will meet today with Francis' agent, tweets Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  Francis is represented by Frontline, as our agency database shows.

MONDAY, 12:09pm: The Mariners are also interested in Francis, tweets Morosi.  Additionally, the Ms have interest in old favorite Jamie Moyer.  

11:19am: The Pirates are among the teams with interest in free agent lefty Jeff Francis, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  The Bucs were in on Francis a year ago, but with a healthy season in the books he'll certainly require more than a one-year, $2MM guarantee this time.

The Pirates also reportedly have interest in free agent pitchers Wei-Yin Chen, Tsuyoshi Wada, and Aaron Cook.

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