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Giants Rumors: Rotation Depth, Cabrera, Santiago

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John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle has a pair of Giants articles up. Let's dig in:

  • The Giants are looking to add rotation depth by pursuing "sixth starter" types. According to Shea, they're one of several teams interested in Andrew Miller, who visited the Giants in their suite Tuesday at the Winter Meetings.
  • The Giants are also in the market for backup shortstops. Some names they've floated around include Orlando Cabrera and Tigers' utilityman Ramon Santiago. Edgar Renteria remains an option as well.
  • Despite yet another surgery for Freddy Sanchez (this time on his left shoulder), San Francisco won't be pursuing any second basemen. Sanchez should be ready for Opening Day, and the Giants already have Mike Fontenot and Mark DeRosa to backup if needed.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giants, Astros, Marlins

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Some late night links after a busy day for the Diamondbacks…

International Links: Renteria, Pedro, Williamson

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Links in Spanish from where winter is just a cool breeze…

  • Edgar Renteria has "three options" for a 2011 contract, according to an AP story out of Colombia. "All of them are in the National League, and one is the Giants," Renteria said. "I'd like to return [to the Giants], but if it doesn't work out, there are the other teams." The Cardinals and Marlins could be the fallbacks, as Renteria has said he'd like to end his career playing for one of the two.
  • No matter the season or league, Pedro Martinez wants to play for a winner. Martinez downplayed reports that he is training with the Licey Tigers in the Dominican Winter League, telling Pedro G. Briceño at Listin Diario, "I'm taking a break right now." In another interview, though, Martinez sounded more open, telling El Dia's Justo de la Cruz that he might change his mind if the Tigers improve in the standings or qualify for the Dominican playoffs. In regard to his plans stateside, Martinez told de la Cruz he hasn't hung up his spikes, but on the other hand said: "I don't rule out having an impulse to leave definitively." 
  • Scott Williamson is planning to pitch in Mexico this winter, and several Major League teams will be watching, Williamson's agent told the blog Baseball Mexico (link in English). The former National League Rookie of the Year hasn't pitched in the majors since 2007, but he put up impressive numers in part-time closing duty for the independent Somerset Patriots last summer.

Mutual Interest Between Giants, Renteria

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Giants GM Brian Sabean told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that there's "mutual interest" between the team and Edgar Renteria, even after signing Miguel Tejada and tendering Mike Fontenot a contract (Twitter link). Renteria says he's open to playing second base, which provides the team with some flexibility.

Still, it's hard to imagine a great fit for Renteria on a roster that includes Freddy Sanchez, Pablo Sandoval, Fontenot, Tejada and Mark DeRosa. The Giants don't appear to have a clearly defined role to offer their World Series MVP in 2011.

Renteria batted .276/.332/.374 in 267 plate appearances, missing time with elbow, groin, hamstring and shoulder injuries before returning to form and winning the World Series MVP. Renteria has also expressed interest in re-joining the Cardinals or Marlins.

Giants Re-Sign Pat Burrell

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The Giants re-signed outfielder Pat Burrell to a one-year, $1MM deal that does not include any incentives. The team announced the deal today. 

Burrell, 34, hit .252/.348/.469 with 20 home runs in 437 plate appearances for the Rays and Giants this year.  He tallied over 600 innings in left field for San Francisco.  The return to the National League, and perhaps the chance to play defense again, resulted in a solid comeback.  Burrell isn't known for his glovework, but on the plus side he was the only free agent left fielder to hit 20 home runs in 2010.  His agents at Legacy Sports seemingly adhered to his wish to remain in San Francisco rather than shop around for the biggest contract.

Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News was the first to report that a deal may have been struck between the two sides and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reported details on the deal (Twitter links).

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

National League Non-Tenders

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This post will list all the National League players non-tendered today, but the best place to track all 200+ arbitration eligible players is our new non-tender tracker.

Red Sox Notes: Papelbon, Beltre, Scutaro

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The Red Sox locked up a longtime catcher today and seem to be serious suitors for Jayson Werth. Here are the rest of the day's Red Sox rumors:

  • The team will almost certainly tender Jonathan Papelbon a contract, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The closer is likely to earn close to $11MM in 2011, but the Red Sox decided against putting him on the open market a year early.
  • Adrian Beltre told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that his preference is to re-sign with the Red Sox. He's going to explore his options carefully, but could decide to accept an offer soon. The third baseman says "the number of years" on his next contract matters a great deal to him.
  • The Giants, who officially announced their deal with Miguel Tejada tonight, are no longer targeting Marco Scutaro, accoding to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).

Giants Sign Miguel Tejada

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The Giants signed Miguel Tejada to a one-year contract, the team announced today. The deal is worth $6.5MM, including a $500K bonus, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter).

The Giants had been pursuing shortstops aggressively ever since Juan Uribe signed with the Dodgers. They matched Los Angeles' three-year, $21MM offer before moving on to other targets, according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times. The Giants appeared to have strong interest in Jason Bartlett, and even contacted Derek Jeter's agent. 

It's not clear whether the Giants will use Tejada at shortstop, but ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears that is their plan (Twitter link). Third baseman Pablo Sandoval is falling out of favor with the Giants, who have Freddy Sanchez at second base and utilityman Mark DeRosa. Wherever Bruce Bochy puts him, Tejada figures to stay on the field. He has been exceptionally durable this decade, averaging 158 games per season since 1999.

The 36-year-old played third for the Orioles before the Padres acquired him in a summer trade and made him their starting shortstop. Tejada batted .269/.312/.381 with 15 homers and 26 doubles in 681 plate appearances between the two leagues.

The Padres did not offer Tejada arbitration, so the Giants don't have to surrender a top pick to their division rival. SFX represents Tejada. 

Jason Bartlett Rumors: Tuesday

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10:55pm: The Giants are not in on Bartlett, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (on Twitter). 

10:00pm: The Giants and Cardinals both added infielders today, but haven't completely ruled out acquiring Bartlett, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Bartlett, a long shot for the Giants, would be insurance in case Pablo Sandoval's struggles continue.

8:59pm: The Giants are one of several clubs engaging the Rays in trade talks about Bartlett even after reaching a deal with Miguel Tejada, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.

5:00pm: The Giants are "wide open" on their options at short, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). They've considered Bartlett, Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera and Marco Scutaro. Meanwhile, an Orioles source tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that the Rays and O's aren't moving closer to a deal involving Bartlett.

TUESDAY, 3:45pm: The Giants have become one of the most serious suitors for Bartlett, according to Rosenthal and Morosi.

MONDAY, 5:40pm: The Rays are moving closer to trading Jason Bartlett, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The reporters’ sources say the Dodgers’ deal with Juan Uribe accelerated trade talks. The Cardinals, Padres, Giants, Orioles and Pirates have all expressed interest in Bartlett, who is arbitration eligible for the third and final time this offseason.

The Rays appear to be looking for bullpen help in any trade involving Bartlett. If they do trade the 31-year-old, they’ll likely replace him with Reid Brignac, who played 50 games at short in 2010 and posted a higher OPS than Bartlett (.692 vs. .675). 

Bartlett slumped to .254/.324/.350 in 2010 after an All-Star season in 2009, but his career line (.281/.345/.385) suggests he's capable of more offense. He earned $4MM in 2010 and will likely earn over $5MM through arbitration in 2011.

Giants Notes: Jeter, Fontenot, Uribe, Tejada

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The Giants have agreed to a deal with Miguel Tejada and may still be pursuing a deal for Jason Bartlett. Here's the latest on GM Brian Sabean's search for infielders:

  • The Giants contacted Derek Jeter's agent, according to the Wall Street Journal, but Brian Sabean explained to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that team's discussions with Casey Close revolved around another client, Mike Fontenot. (Twitter link). Fontenot, a non-tender candidate, would earn over $1MM next winter if the Giants tender him a contract. 
  • Before the Dodgers signed former Giant Juan Uribe, San Francisco offered the infielder a three-year deal worth $20MM, according to Schulman (on Twitter). That's $1MM less than the Dodgers offered and $5MM less than Uribe was asking for.
  • The Giants weren't the only NL West team to lose an infielder to a division rival this week. The Padres spoke to Miguel Tejada's agent today, but weren't willing and/or able to match the Giants' $6.5MM offer, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). 
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