Week In Review

We’re one week closer to Spring Training, and we saw the pitching market trim down quickly over the past seven days, as the three top starters remaining are now off the market (though not all for the same reason). Let’s recap:

• I was in the camp that thought Ben Sheets could have a productive 2009 and come as a bargain to a team like the Rangers. And I was wrong. Sheets will undergo elbow surgery that will put him on the shelf until at least July, and possibly for the entire season.
• The Mets and Oliver Perez agreed to terms on a three-year, $36MM deal. I’m not much of a Perez fan, so I feel they overpaid. Ollie’s got tremendous upside, and is perfectly capable of making a believer out of me, but he’s yet to show enough consistency to warrant that kind of money in my eyes.
• Perez’s 2008 wasn’t much different than Randy Wolf’s, yet Wolf signed for a fraction of Ollie’s price: one year, $5MM with the Dodgers. Wolf can earn up to $3MM more with incentives. I like this value for LA.
• The Dodgers tried to have an even bigger week, but their one-year, $25MM offer to Manny Ramirez was rejected. This is the second failed attempt to bring Manny back for the Dodgers. Will they go to three years?
• There’s been a lot of talk about the status of Joe Crede. The Twins and Giants are both after his services, but the Giants were the first to make an offer. My personal prediction is that he’ll end up in Minnesota, which means there’s about an 85% chance he’ll be in San Fran by the end of the week.
• Speaking of the Twins, they signed Luis Ayala to a one-year, $1.3MM deal with $575K in incentives. Ayala’s been solid his whole career until 2008. Nice low-risk value. Twins fans also had to be happy to hear Scott Baker say he’d like to stay in Minnesota.
• The Orioles signed Ty Wigginton to a two-year, $6MM contract. Great signing for the O’s. Wigginton is versatile, a solid bat, and can fill in at either 1B or 3B for them in 2010 once Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff are gone. Great value and great flexibility in this deal from Baltimore. The Orioles also acquired Rich Hill for a player to be named later.
• Adam Dunn has an offer from the Nationals, but has been sitting on it for awhile. There’s not much of a market for the corner OF/1B/DH types. Even if Washington isn’t his first choice, the likelihood of him playing there seems to be increasing.
• The D’Backs signed Tom Gordon to a one-year deal worth $500K guaranteed and $2.5MM with incentives. Nice investment for Arizona.
• Tim had an interesting post, listing players who are out of options for the 2009 season.
• Those wondering why the comments section has changed, here’s Tim’s explanation. Also, remember to keep things respectful in the comments section. Insults toward other commenters and making derogatory marks about players, teams, etc. shouldn’t be taking place. Thanks!

As was the case with the previous week, we saw a lot of young players land extensions with their current clubs. Let’s take a look back at the past seven days and see what’s been going on in the Hot Stove universe:

• Royals fans had to be pleased Monday morning, when it was announced that Zack Greinke signed a four-year, $38MM extension with the club. Fantastic move for the Royals; Greinke has the makings of an ace and posted a strong overall campaign in 2008. Keeping him around at $9.5MM per year should prove to be a bargain.
• The Rockies followed the Royals’ example, when they locked up Ubaldo Jimenez for four years as well. Jimenez’s deal is worth $10MM guaranteed, with options that could bring the contract to $22.75MM. Again, I love this signing. For a guy who can throw as hard as Jimenez, the price looks great for Colorado.
• The Pirates got in on the fun as well; they agreed to a three-year, $13.75MM extension for Paul Maholm, with a $9.75MM option for 2012. Again, nice value for the extension. Some commenters questioned this move, but the Pirates are strapped for pitching, and three years of Maholm at that price provides significantly more upside than hitting the FA market, even if he turns out to just be an innings eater.
• The Jason Varitek saga is finally over. He agreed to terms with the Red Sox on a one-year, $5MM deal with a dual option for 2010. The Sox can bring him back for $5MM again, and if they decline that option, ’Tek can opt to come back for $3MM. Still seems expensive given Varitek’s production last season, but certainly better than what they’d have paid him had he accepted arbitration.
• The Yankees also brought back a familiar face when they signed Andy Pettitte to a one-year, $5.5MM deal that could reach $12MM with incentives. Not sure if I like pushing Phil Hughes out of the rotation for the Yanks, but it’s good to have depth, especially if you’ve got A.J. Burnett in your rotation.
• The Diamondbacks signed Jon Garland to a one-year, $6.25MM contract with a $10MM option for 2010. Here’s Nick Piecoro’s take on the situation. He brings up some points I wouldn’t have initially thought of; nice article.
• The D’Backs are also getting close to a deal for Tom Gordon.
• The Cubs continued their offseason flurry when they sent newly-acquired Garrett Olson and Ronny Cedeno to the Mariners in exchange form Aaron Heilman. I like Seattle’s return in this deal, but the Cubs get more upside from Heilman if you ask me.
• There’s been talk all week about the Cubs possibly sending Rich Hill to Baltimore as well. Seems like the right type of move for the O’s, and it wouldn’t cost them too much. Hill is out of options.
• Speaking of Baltimore, Brian Roberts addressed his status with the club, stating that he wants a four-year extension before Spring Training begins. As I asked in my previous post, what do readers think? Is Roberts a better cornerstone or trade piece for Baltimore?
• We learned the numbers on Jason Kubel’s extension: $7.2MM over the next two years. Pretty affordable for a 26-year-old with an OPS over .800. The Twins also cut off talks with Eric Gagne abruptly, just when Boras and Gagne thought they had a deal. Bill Smith now says he’ll find a reliever through a trade.
• Bobby Abreu is reportedly ok with accepting a one-year deal. Looks like this will have to become more of a trend for corner outfielders, given the current market. Abreu could potentially become one of the bigger bargains on the market this offseason.

It’s been a bit of a slow week in terms of Hot Stove news, but we saw several extensions for players, as expected after the reports from the previous week. Let’s take a look at the past seven days:

• Couple of notable moves for the Orioles. Firstly, they traded lefty Garrett Olson to the Cubs for Felix Pie. Pie’s stock may have fallen, but I still like this move for the Orioles. Pie can provide a great glove in left field, and has considerably more upside than Olson. I find it strange how quickly the Cubs shipped off Pie and Jose Ceda, after the two were such sticking points in the previous offseason.
• The bigger move for the Orioles is that they finalized a six-year, $66MM extension for Nick Markakis this week. Markakis has proven himself to be a legitimate five-tool player, and should serve as a great cornerstone for this franchise as they work to rebuild. Between Markakis, Pie, and Adam Jones, the O’s have a shot at having one of the best young outfields we’ve seen in quite some time.
• Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin gave a very simple one-word answer of "Yeah," when asked if Prince Fielder would stay put for the 2009 season. A few days later, we learned he’d be staying put for the 2010 season as well, it seems, as he signed a two-year, $18MM extension. Prince will get $6.5MM this season and $11.5MM in 2010. While that’s a great value for an offensive threat of his caliber, I imagine that Brewers fans would’ve liked to see him locked up for longer than two years.
• The Phillies locked up a couple of their important pieces this week as well. Ryan Madson agreed to a three-year, $12MM extension. Madson was terrific – particularly in the postseason – in bridging the gap to Brad Lidge. The Phillies were untouchable when leading going into the late innings in 2008, and Madson was a big part of that. Nice signing by Philadelphia.
• The Phils also signed Jayson Werth to a two-year, $10MM extension. Werth will receive $3MM in 2009 and $7MM in 2010. Nice value here; Werth was an underrated part of the Phils success if you ask me.
• Another Jason received a two-year extension this week as well, when the Twins bought out Jason Kubel’s last two arbitration years. No details yet, but this should be a good move for the Twins. Kubel can be a solid source of power as he continues to improve, and quietly posted a nice 2008 campaign. Kubel’s deal has an option for a third year.
• We heard the Twins linked to Eric Gagne and Joe Crede all week, but now it appears talks have stalled with both Boras clients. I imagine they’re waiting to see Crede work out in Arizona this week. The Giants will be in on that too, but I’d personally expect Crede to end up in Minnesota.
• One person the Twins won’t be signing is Brandon Lyon; he signed with the Tigers this week for one year, $4.25MM. Not the initial two years, $9MM he was seeking, but that seems like a good deal for Lyon to me.
• The Mets made some progress on the starting pitching front, as they offered a revised contract to Oliver Perez and are set to sign Freddy Garcia. The Mets apparently improved upon their three-year, $30MM offer to Perez, which I think is a mistake. Perez is as inconsistent as they come on the mound – is investing four years there particularly wise?
• Could Adam Dunn’s price really end up as low as one-year, $5MM? I sure don’t think so, but if it’s even a figure close to that, every GM should be lining up to get him.
• We saw two players retire this week: Jeff Kent and Sean Casey. Kent will go down as one of the best offensive second basemen ever, and should be in the Hall of Fame if you ask me. Casey is surprising, he can still be a productive hitter, but wasn’t drawing interest as an everday option at first. He’ll be an analyst for the MLB Network. Should be great to listen to. Best wishes to both of them in life after baseball.

We heard a lot about some deals that are close on the horizon this past week, which could suggest we’re in for a busy one ahead. Let’s take a look back at all the news from the past seven days:

• The Braves continue to be busy this offseason. They swooped in and signed Derek Lowe to a four-year, $60MM contract. Not only do the Braves get to have Lowe for themselves, they also don’t have to face him with the Mets. Paying $15MM for Lowe by the time he’s 38-39 years old is a risk, but the move looks good for right now. They also signed super-utilityman Omar Infante to a two-year, $4.325MM contract, and we learned that the Kenshin Kawakami signing was for a nice value of three years, $23MM.
• There was a lot of drama surrounding Michael Young this week, as we learned that the All-Star shortstop demanded a trade from the Rangers after being asked to move to third base. After a lot of speculation about where Young could potentially end up, and who could afford to take on his contract, he came out and publicly stated that he would play third base in 2009, making room for top prospect Elvis Andrus.
• The Phillies made a great signing this week, when they gave World Series MVP Cole Hamels a three-year, $20.5MM extension. Hamels has solidified himself as a top-tier starter in the game, and keeping him around at roughly $7MM per year is a tremendous bargain. I absolutely love this move for Philadelphia.
• Red Sox fans have reason to celebrate, too. Kevin Youkilis signed a four-year, $41MM extension with the BoSox this week. Great value for a guy who finished third in the AL MVP voting, plays Gold Glove caliber defense, and is one of the leaders of that clubhouse. Nice move by Boston.
• The Red Sox may not stop with Youk, however. We heard this week that they want to discuss an extension for Jason Bay prior to the 2009 season, but after the other free agent outfielders sign. Bay would be one of the better hitters on the market if he elected free agency; will he test the market or stay in the Boston spotlight? The Red Sox also signed Mark Kotsay to a one-year, $1.5MM deal this week.
• The Red Sox were one of several teams looking to extend core players this week. The Orioles and Nick Markakis are reportedly nearing a six-year, $64-$66MM extension. This would be a tremendous signing for a great, young, five-tool player in my opinion. The O’s also inked veteran catcher Gregg Zaun to a one-year, $1.5MM deal with a $2MM option for 2010. Zaun should be a nice mentor for Matt Wieters. Andy MacPhail says Zaun will get the bulk of the playing time, but I find that hard to believe. You have to imagine Wieters will force himself into the everyday role.
• Continuing on the extension theme, the Twins would like to give Jason Kubel a two-year extension to buy out his arbitration years. Kubel had a nice season as the Twins’ DH last year, and is one of the only power sources in the Twins’ lineup. I think they’d be wise to keep him around. Minnesota is also looking at Eric Gagne and Brandon Lyon for the eighth inning. Gagne could be a huge bargain; he quietly had a nice finish to 2008 and has only been bad for roughly one calendar year.
• Apparently Russell Martin has taken note of this current trend. He’d like to discuss an extension with the Dodgers over the winter.
• One person NOT getting an extension with the Dodgers is Andruw Jones. They released him this week, cutting ties with what has proved to be a disastrous signing for Los Angeles.
• Lastly, Tim had a chance to ask Ken Rosenthal some questions earlier this week. Here’s a look at the interview.

Lots of signings this past week, as predicted by Doug Melvin… let’s recap all the action:

• I’ll start off by offering condolences to the family of Carl Pohlad, owner of the Minnesota Twins. He passed away this week at 93 years old. R.I.P. Mr. Pohlad.
• Perhaps the best signing of the week, the Rays inked Pat Burrell to a two-year, $16MM contract. For a guy coming off four straight .875 or higher OPS seasons, that’s a great deal, especially when you factor in that he won’t have to play in the field. The Rays biggest problem in 2008 came against LHP, which Burrell absolutely crushes. Great signing for Tampa.
• From the best signing to the longest: The Angels signed manager Mike Scioscia to an extension through the 2018 season! Talk about the organization putting faith in you…
• More bargains this week, as the A’s signed Jason Giambi to a one-year deal worth $4.5MM, with an option for 2010 at $5MM. Very affordable signing by Oakland; nice move.
• The Cubs signed Milton Bradley to a three-year, $30MM contract this week. If Bradley can stay healthy, this move will likely work out just fine. However, given his injury history, it’s a bit uncertain how he’ll be able to handle playing in the outfield every day for the Cubs. Still, if he can come close to matching his ridiculous 2008 production (.999 OPS), he’ll be a very welcome addition to the middle of the Cubs’ order. The Cubs also completed their swap of Jason Marquis for Luis Vizcaino.
• The Braves continued to improve their starting pitching when they signed Kenshin Kawakami to a three-year deal this week. The terms of the contract are still unknown, but given Kawakami’s success in Japan, he’ll be another big step up for the Braves’ pitching staff.
• Kawakami wasn’t the only Japanese player to sign this week; the Orioles reached an agreement with Koji Uehara on a two-year, $10MM deal that could reach $16MM total with incentives. The Orioles are also on the verge of signing Gregg Zaun to a one-year contract.
• Boston may have had the busiest week of all. They signed Rocco Baldelli and John Smoltz (yes, John Smoltz) to one-year deals, and did the same with Takashi Saito. It’s tough to imagine Smoltz outside of Atlanta, but he’ll be calling a different city his home for the first time in 2009. Baldelli will receive a base salary of $500K, while Smoltz’s base is $5MM and Saito’s is believed to be $1.5-$2.5MM. I like all of these signings by Boston.
• Another icon finding a new home will be Trevor Hoffman; he signed a one-year deal worth $6MM with the Brewers this week.
• The Mets added to the back-end of their rotation, agreeing to terms with Tim Redding on a one-year, $2.25MM deal for the 2009 season. Nice, affordable signing for the Mets.
• The Indians also made an inexpensive signing, when they inked Carl Pavano to a one-year, $1.5MM contract. If Pavano can remain healthy and have any sort of rebound, the Indians have a bargain on their hands. Nice low-risk, high-reward type signing.
• One pitcher not attempting to make a comeback will be John Patterson; he retired this week after struggling with health issues ever since his strong 2005 campaign.
• The Reds signed Jerry Hairston Jr. to a one-year, $2MM contract with another $2MM in incentives.
• A couple of Yankees notes: They would like to move one of their corner players, but prefer to keep Nick Swisher over Xavier Nady. Also, Andy Pettitte rejected their offer of one year at $10MM. I’m surprised, because at this point I can’t imagine him finding a better deal than that.
• The Phillies found themselves with a sudden hole in the bullpen when J.C. Romero was suspended 50 games for testing positive for a banned substance. Romero claims he did nothing wrong. Sergio Mitre joined him the next day.

Happy 2009 to everyone out there! Let’s take care of the first Week in Review of the new year…

• The Angels found a replacement for the departed Francisco Rodriguez, when they signed Brian Fuentes to a two-year, $17.5MM deal with a $9MM option for a third. The sudden surplus of closers on the market obviously cost Fuentes, who entered the offseason seeking three years, and $30-40MM. The Angels got him at a nice price. Colorado will receive LA’s #33 pick in the draft.
• It was an insanely busy week for Cubs fans, so let’s go through it all: First, they’re near a swap of Jason Marquis for Luis Vizcaino with the Rockies. That link also has the scoop on their near-agreement with Milton Bradley (more details for that here). Next, they signed Aaron Miles to a two-year, $4.9MM deal. Speculation that this would allow them to trade Mark DeRosa proved to be spot on, as they sent him to the Indians for three minor league pitchers that same day. This is the second questionable trade Hendry has made this offseason; the Kevin Gregg/Jose Ceda trade awhile back was also highly scrutinized. The Cubs get little in return for DeRosa, who was terrific in 2008. Some were hopeful that this move signaled a rekindling of the Jake Peavy talks, but we heard that deal is still unlikely, and this trade was unrelated. Could they be targeting Brian Roberts again to replace some production?
• The Nationals could be competition for the Cubs in the Bradley market, but I highly doubt that. The more interesting piece of info on Washington this week was the report that Lastings Milledge could be trade bait prior to the 2009 season. Milledge was impressive in the second half and is immensely talented; I’d imagine the return would have to be quite nice.
• In other NL East news, the Mets made an offer to Derek Lowe for three years, $36MM. Not surprisingly, Lowe was hardly excited about it. Instead, he’s still said to be seeking $16MM per year. That number seems reachable, but it’s hard to imagine Lowe getting the five years he was initially seeking.
• The Red Sox reached one-year deals with Brad Penny and Josh Bard this week. Penny will receive an incentive-laden salary with a base of $5MM. Bard’s contract isn’t guaranteed, but has a base salary of $1.7MM with another $800K in incentives.
• Arizona signed Chris Snyder to a three-year, $14.25MM extension. Nice signing for the D’Backs. Snyder posted an .800 OPS last year and threw out 29% of attempted base stealers.
• The Giants have emerged as suitors for Manny Ramirez in the past week. We heard they were willing to spend money on C.C. Sabathia, so why not Manny? They need offense more than pitching anyway. San Francisco is said to alse be taking a look at Joe Crede.
• The White Sox and Orioles are discussing a potential swap of Brian Roberts for Gavin Floyd. Not sure I understand this one from Chicago’s perspective. They’ve trying to get younger, and are now looking to deal one of their best young players from 2008 for one year of Roberts?
• The Dodgers reworked Andruw Jones’ contract to lower his salary for 2009 to $5MM and give him the $15MM he’s owed over the next five years. The Dodgers will look to trade Jones, who was downright awful in 2008. I can’t imagine much interest given his last two seasons, but if he somehow rebounded, you’d have a massive bargain on your hands and a sure candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.
• We learned the terms of Willy Taveras’ contract with the Reds: two years, $6.25MM.

Hope everyone’s enjoying the holiday season! Here’s a look back at the happenings of the last week here on MLBTR:

• If you haven’t heard this week’s top story, chances are you’ve been living under a rock, but we’ll tell you anyway: The Yankees signed Mark Teixeira to an eight-year, $180MM contract. That means they’ve combined to spend over $420MM this offseason on three players, including C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. Does this make them a clear favorite in the division, though? I personally don’t feel like it does. Sabathia will essentially replace retired Mike Mussina’s 2009 production (he’ll be an upgrade, obviously, but Moose notched 20 wins in his final season), Burnett is a serious health liability, and adding Teixeira is a big improvement, but I don’t think he puts this team over the top. The Yankees have gotten better, but if I’m spending $420MM on three players, I’m making sure it makes me the team to beat, and I’m not sure they’ve done that. Here’s some additional reactions, and here’s a few more. Additionally, Tex reportedly had a higher offer from the Nationals. The Nats were willing to go higher, but weren’t given a chance to do so.
• The Yanks also signed Chien-Ming Wang to a one-year, $5MM deal, and inked Kevin Cash to a minor-league deal that could be worth $700K.
• The Giants added a third Cy Young winner to their rotation when they signed Randy Johnson to a one-year, $8MM deal that could potentially be worth $13MM with performance and award incentives. Giants fans will likely get the pleasure of seeing the Big Unit notch his 300th win, and he may serve as a mentor for their young staff. Johnson’s signing may cause the Giants to be more willing to trade Jonathan Sanchez.
• Ryan Doumit signed a three-year extension with the Pirates, with a guaranteed $11.5MM and potentially worth as much as $27MM over five years. Nice signing for Pittsburgh, as Doumit has proven his value with the bat at a weak catcher position, but you have to wonder what the motive is. Rebuilding for the future, or enhancing his value as a trade chip? What do you guys think?
• The Reds signed Willy Taveras to a two-year contract, though the terms of the deal are not yet known. You have to figure Taveras will work out better than Corey Patterson did in 2008.
• Joe Nelson agreed to terms with the Rays on a one-year, $1.3MM deal for 2009. Great low-risk addition for the Rays, if you ask me. Twenty teams had expressed interest in Nelson, who posted a strong 2008 campaign with the Marlins.
• Red Sox fans hoping that Kevin Youkilis would be next in line for an extension after Dustin Pedroia are going to be disappointed: Adam Kilgore at the Boston Globe says it’s not happening.
• One last bit of Rafael Furcal drama: Furcal stresses that there was never a deal in place with the Braves, not with him or with his agents.

Here’s a look back at the major happenings of the past week:

• Rafael Furcal re-signed with the Dodgers in about as controversial of a way as possible. Paul Kinzer, Furcal’s agent, had asked Braves GM Frank Wren to fax him a terms sheet in order to complete a deal. The next morning, Kinzer backpedaled, told the Braves a deal wasn’t in place, and Furcal signed with the Dodgers later in the day. Wren has sworn off working with Kinzer or any agents in his firm as a result. Furcal will get three years, $30MM from the Dodgers, the same figure Wren and the Braves had offered. If I were from Atlanta, I’d be pretty furious over this one.
• Don’t expect a Jake Peavy trade to happen this winter after all. Padres CEO Sandy Alderson says Peavy will be with the club on Opening Day. We did hear a rumbling about a possible move to Boston for the San Diego ace, however.
• We heard a lot of talk about the Mike Cameron/Yankees possible trade during the Winter Meetings, and those talks resumed early in the week. However, just a few days later, the talks seemed to be dead. The Yankees want the Brewers to pay too much of Kei Igawa’s salary, and Doug Melvin isn’t budging.
• The Phillies re-signed Jamie Moyer to a two-year, $16MM deal. Eight million per year at 45 years old… tough to complain about that if you’re Moyer. The Phillies also inked Chan Ho Park to a one-year, $2.5MM deal.
• Daniel Cabrera signed with the Nationals this week on a one-year, $2.6MM deal. Cabrera’s arm has always been praised, but he’s never put it together in the Majors. The Orioles non-tendered him last week. If a change of scenery can benefit Cabrera, the Nats will have gotten a solid arm for a minimal price. I wouldn’t count too much on that scenario, however.
• Adam Dunn’s first choice for 2009? The Cubs. But is the interest mutual, and could he actually play an effective right field? Dunn says he’s not looking for a huge deal, just a fair one.
• The Yankees won’t be going after Ben Sheets. They’ve already signed their highly talented, but highly injury-prone pitcher for the offseason in A.J. Burnett.
• The Angels re-signed Juan Rivera to a three-year, $12.75MM deal. If he can return to his 2006 form, that’d be a great signing.
• Matt Treanor signed with the Tigers to serve as a backup for Gerald Laird.
• Kenshin Kamakawi is drawing a lot of interest in America. This week, we specifically heard about the Mets, Orioles, Cardinals, and Twins linked to Kawakami. The Twins seem like a strange fit, with their young rotation seemingly set, and especially in light of Ken Rosenthal suggesting that Kawakami may command a larger deal than Hiroki Kuroda’s three-year, $35.3MM deal.
• Here’s a look at all the free agents following the 2009 season.
• And just in case you were wondering, no… Barry Bonds isn’t retiring yet. Think anyone’s changed their stance on baseball’s home run king?

We had a busy week here at MLBTR and this next week is likely to be even busier with the Winter Meetings starting tomorrow. Let’s run down the past seven days of arbitration offers, signings, and trades:

• I’ll start off by paying tribute to one of the greatest pitchers our era will see: Greg Maddux will officially announce his retirement tomorrow at the Winter Meetings. Congratulations to him on a spectacular career.
• The Red Sox pleased their fans by signing American League MVP Dustin Pedroia to a six-year, $40.5MM extension. Great signing for Boston. Pedroia at an average of $6.75MM per year? Hard to go wrong with that.
• The Braves’ busy week started when they acquired Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan from the White Sox in exchange for Tyler Flowers, Brent Lillibridge, Jon Gilmore, and Santos Rodriguez. That’s a nice return for Vazquez and Logan while improving the Braves quite a bit for 2009. Here’s some additional reactions. The Braves also inked Dave Ross to a two-year contract this week. And, on top of all that, they also appear to be very interested in A.J. Burnett. Maybe they really are done talking about Jake Peavy.
• What a week for Giants fans: They signed Edgar Renteria to a two-year, $18.5MM contract. National League Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum is open to a long-term deal. The Giants made a nice signing of Bob Howry, and could offer a contract to C.C. Sabathia. If Renteria returns to his standard NL form, the team could vastly improve.
• The Cardinals were also active, acquiring Khalil Greene from the Padres in exchange for Mark Worrell and a player to be named later. I like Greene as a nice rebound candidate this year. Getting out of PETCO and into a much better lineup certainly won’t hurt him. They also signed Trever Miller to a one-year, $2MM contract.
• The Mariners announced this week that J.J. Putz is on the trading block. They also signed Russell Branyan to a one-year, $1.4MM deal. As long as he’s only facing right-handers, that’s a nice signing.
• Here’s a look at all 24 free agents who were offered arbitration. There’s some surprises in there. Who would’ve thought back in August that the D’Backs would end up not offering arbitration to Adam Dunn?
• The Astros signed both Doug Brocail and Mike Hampton this week.
• The Rays appear willing to trade their team MVP, Jason Bartlett, this offseason. The shortstop market is weak, and Bartlett is arbitration-eligible. I never understood Bartlett’s selection as MVP personally. He played average defense with sub-par offense. I wonder what Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena had to say about that decision…
• The Red Sox signed 22-year-old Japanese right-hander Junichi Tazawa for $3MM over three years. This has potential to be a tremendous signing for the BoSox.
• Minor signings for the week: The Brewers signed Jorge Julio for one year, $950K plus incentives, the Indians signed Tomo Ohka to a minor league contract, the White Sox signed John Van Benschoten to a minor league deal, and the Reds signed Mike Lincoln to a two-year deal worth $4MM plus incentives. The Twins were apparently after Lincoln as well.
• Kevin Mench will be spending 2009 playing in Japan for the Hanshin Tigers.

Action this offseason will likely pick up with tomorrow’s arbitration deadline, but let’s take a look back at the week leading up to it:

• Early in the week we heard a false rumor that the Giants had signed Edgar Renteria to a two-year, $18MM contract. I didn’t understand the signing at the time, and the fans seemed to share my sentiment based on the comments.
• The Pirates signed Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh, two finalists in India’s Million Dollar Arm competition, to minor league contracts.
• The Angels emerged as players for C.C. Sabathia this week, although Mark Teixeira remains their top priority.
• We heard a couple different reports that the Red Sox are set to sign Japanese amateur Junichi Tazawa to a three-year, $6MM major league deal.
• Andy Pettitte may consider teams other than the Yankees, and is reportedly giving thought to the Dodgers. Ned Colletti confirmed that there is "some interest" in signing the veteran left-hander. My personal opinion, but I doubt Pettitte will be offered arbitration, and therefore won’t cost any other teams a pick.
• A few minor moves: The Astros acquired Tyler Lumsden from Kansas City for cash considerations or player to be named later; The Brewers signed R.J. Swindle to a major league deal, and the Red Sox acquired Wes Littleton from the Rangers for cash considerations or a player to be named later as well.
• Here’s a closer look at the Rule 5 Draft for those who want more information on it. The draft will be held on Dec. 7.