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Jeff Francis

Odds & Ends: Boras, Everett, Francis, Webb, Olivo

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Some links for Monday night as the deals for Pedro Feliciano and Brad Hawpe become official..

  • The players' association has found that Scott Boras did not violate union rules when his company made loans to a Dominican prospect, according to the Associated Press.
  • Adam Everett's minor league deal with the Indians will pay the 33-year-old $700K plus incentives if he makes the team, or $15K per month at Triple-A, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Twitter link).
  • The Rockies will reach out to pitcher Jeff Francis this week, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.  There's a chance that the left-hander returns to Colorado but he might have a better opportunity elsewhere.
  • Brandon Webb, who officially joined the Rangers earlier today, says that he won't rush himself back in order to start the season in the rotation, writes ESPN.com's Richard Durrett.
  • Greg Johns of MLB.com likes the Mariners' signing of Miguel Olivo.

Mets Sign Capuano And Buchholz, DFA Igarashi

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7:56pm: More from Rubin (via Twitter) as a Mets official says that these additions do not take the Mets out of the running for other free agent starters such as Chris Young and Jeff Francis.  Rubin also tweets that Igarashi, due to his salary, is expected to clear waivers and hook on with the Mets in major league camp as a non-roster invitee.

7:41pm: Capuano's deal has a base of $1.5MM plus incentives while Buchholz will earn a $600K base salary, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter links).  The Brewers all but closed the door on bringing back Capuano when they dealt for Zack Greinke and signed Shaun Marcum as Capuano wants to start.  Meanwhile, Buchholz says that the Mets will use him as a reliever.

6:08pm: The Mets have signed pitchers Chris Capuano and Taylor Buchholz to one-year deals, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post.  In order to make room for the two, the Mets have designated Ryota Igarashi for assignment, Puma tweets.

Capuano, 32, turned in a 3.95 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 66 innings of work last season for the Brewers.  The left-hander missed the 2008 and '09 major league seasons after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery in May of 2008.  In 2010 he made nine starts with 15 relief appearances. Capuano was never a flamethrower but his 87.4 mph fastball last season was consistent with his career average.

Buchholz, a 29-year-old right-hander, was originally selected in the sixth-round of the 2006 draft by the Phillies.  Since then, he has spent time with the Astros, Rockies, and had a cup of coffee with the Blue Jays to close out 2010.  In 285 career big league innings, Buchholz has a 4.39 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9.  He started a combined 27 games in 2008 and 2009 but has not made a major league start since.

Meanwhile, Igarashi is owed $1.1MM for 2011.  The Japanese right-hander signed a two-year deal with the club in December 2009 but disappointed in 2010, registering a 7.12 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 34 appearances.

Odds & Ends: Gregg, White Sox, Francis

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Exactly five years ago today, the Blue Jays sent Orlando Hudson and Miguel Batista to the Diamondbacks for Troy Glaus. Hudson signed a two-year deal this month, but Glaus and Batista are still available on the free agent market. Here are today's links…

  • The Baseball Federation of Cuba is discussing the possibility of allowing baseball players to leave the country and play abroad as long as a portion of their salary returns to the Cuban government, according Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. Defections to MLB would likely continue, since Cuba would send its players to Japan, South Korea, Mexico and Europe, not the U.S.
  • The Orioles are still talking to Kevin Gregg, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The team discussed a two-year deal with Gregg a couple of weeks ago.
  • Jim Margalus of South Side Sox explains that the White Sox have had trouble developing relievers who can graduate from the minors midseason and support the big league 'pen.
  • Jeff Francis told Marc Weber of the Vancouver Province that  "teams are interested [in his services], but that's about it at this point."

Jeff Francis Suitors

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The Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Rangers, and Yankees have varying degrees of interest in free agent lefty Jeff Francis, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Crasnick named five interested clubs a month ago: the Pirates, Mariners, Brewers, Astros, and Rockies.  It appears that a few teams dropped out and others jumped in; this is the first we've seen of the Yankees' interest.  MLB.com's Thomas Harding learned from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd today that the team will continue to monitor Francis.

Francis, 30 in January, posted a 5.00 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 47% groundball rate in 104 1/3 innings this year for the Rockies.  His peripheral stats suggest Francis' work was more deserving of an ERA around 4.00.  The southpaw missed all of last season after having shoulder surgery in February of '09, and had some lingering issues this year.  The Rockies declined his $7MM club option in November.  He figures to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal.

Rockies Notes: Francis, Aardsma, Heilman

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Let's take a look at some Rockies news..

  • Jeff Francis will decide on whether he will return to the Rockies soon, writes Jim Armstrong of The Denver Post.  Colorado turned down a $7.5MM club option on the pitcher this offseason, making him a free agent.  The Rockies are probably offering the left-hander a deal with about $1MM guaranteed.
  • The Rockies believe that the Mariners are asking too much for David Aardsma, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post.  It was reported last night that the Rockies had interest in the veteran pitcher.
  • A new name to keep in mind for the Rockies is free agent reliever Aaron Heilman, Renck tweets.  Colorado has tried to land the 32-year-old multiple times in recent years.

Odds & Ends: Young, Francis, Twins, Fielder, Nady

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A handful of links to start the final day of the Winter Meetings….

  • The Mets prefer Chris Young to Jeff Francis, and are still trying to sign one of the two veteran starters, says Mike Puma of the New York Post. However, both pitchers are looking for upwards of $4MM for 2011, which is more than the Mets are willing to pay.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Twins are seeking front-end rotation help, such as Carl Pavano. They're also considering moving arms from their back-end surplus, such as Kevin Slowey.
  • The amount of money being spent on free agents this offseason might be making it more obvious to the Brewers that they have little chance of retaining Prince Fielder past next year. As Danny Knobler of CBS Sports writes, that could make Milwaukee more inclined to deal Fielder sooner rather than later.
  • The Diamondbacks are talking to Xavier Nady, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports initially linked the D'Backs to Nady on Tuesday.
  • With Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia under contract, the Red Sox are still pursuing another catcher, according to GordonEdes of ESPNBoston.
  • Astros GM Ed Wade says he doesn't intend to acquire a left fielder, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. If the Astros added an outfielder, it would move Carlos Lee to first base and leave Brett Wallace out of the picture, and the club wants to give Wallace a chance to earn the first base job.

Heyman’s Latest: Vlad, Thome, Molina, Mets

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SI.com's Jon Heyman brings us some updates from around the league, via Twitter:

  • Vladimir Guerrero's main suitors appear to be the Rangers, Orioles, and Athletics. Only the Orioles have a set option at designated hitter of that bunch, in Luke Scott. He can man first base, however, and his name has popped up in trade rumors from time to time.
  • Heyman lists the same suitors for another DH candidate — Jim Thome. In a separate tweet, Heyman agrees with this report that the Twins are a possible landing spot as well.
  • Bengie Molina is now "on the fence" about playing in 2011. Heyman says the veteran backstop could sit out for a year and then return in 2012.
  • The Mets prefer Chris Young to Jeff Francis, as Young is said to be willing to accept a guaranteed salary of around $2MM. Francis, according to Heyman, is looking for a guarantee between $4MM and $5MM.

Brewers Rumors: Weeks, Capuano, Francis, Webb

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The Brewers have had some trade discussions about Prince Fielder, and inquired on Matt Garza. Here are the rest of the details on the Crew:

  • The Brewers had "productive" talks with Rickie Weeks' representatives about a potential extension, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Assistant GM Gord Ash says the sides have "reason to continue to talk" to Weeks, who can become a free agent after the 2011 season.
  • GM Doug Melvin told Haudricourt that he intends to meet with the agent for Craig Counsell and work a deal out soon. The Brewers have made the veteran infielder more than one proposal. 
  • The Brewers have another offer out to Chris Capuano and are waiting to hear from him. 
  • Manager Ron Roenicke says the team would like to pair Jonathan Lucroy with a veteran catcher next year, according to Haudricourt (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers seem hesitant to commit to a pitcher coming back from an injury, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
  • Melvin says the Brewers haven't called the agent for Jeff Francis, though they've been linked to the left-hander repeatedly. The team scouted Brandon Webb, but their level of interest in the former Cy Young Award winner seems low.
  • The Brewers have had discussions with the Braves, but Melvin says he doesn't have any ongoing talks with Atlanta.

Nationals, Rangers Interested In Jeff Francis

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The Nationals and Rangers have checked in on Jeff Francis, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Previous reports have linked the lefty to the Rockies, Pirates, Mariners, Brewers, Astros and Mets. However, the Mets appear to be more serious about Chris Young than Francis.

A number of the clubs above have been linked to another pitcher who has dealt with shoulder injuries, Brandon Webb. Francis, 30 in January, posted a 5.00 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 104 1/3 innings for the Rockies in 2010.

Mets Notes: Carrasco, Beltran, Francis, Young

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A few Mets notes…

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