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Yunel Escobar Changes Agents

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Rays shortstop Yunel Escobar has switched representation, moving from Praver/Shapiro to Miami Sports Management, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. 

Escobar, 31, is under team control for 2015 on a $5MM club option. Assuming that is picked up — which would be a given if he repeats his solid 2013 campaign — then his new agents may not have much work to do until he hits the open market before the 2016 season. Of course, another extension is always possible, though it may be difficult to get Tampa to offer up much of a commitment beyond Escobar's age-32 season.

Phillies Acquire Jayson Nix From Rays

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The Phillies have acquired infielder Jayson Nix from the Rays for cash considerations and have added him to the team's 40-man roster, the club announced. The club further announced that it had informed Reid Brignac that he would not make the club.

Nix, 31, spent last year with the Yankees, taking 303 trips to the plate for New York. He ended up with a .236/.308/.311 triple-slash. In parts of six MLB seasons, Nix has a lifetime .218/.290/.358 line.

Rays To Sign Mike Fontenot

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The Rays have added infielder Mike Fontenot on a minor league deal, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Fontenot was released earlier today by the Nationals.

The 33-year-old had seen at least some time at the Major League level in every season since 2006 before spending last year with the Rays' Triple-A affiliate. He hit .264/.335/.379 in 120 games.

Rays To Re-Sign Erik Bedard

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The Rays have agreed to re-sign left-handed starter Erik Bedard to a minor league deal, reports MLB.com's Bill Chastain via Twitter. Bedard will provide the club with some depth in the upper minors.

Bedard posted a 4.59 ERA in 151 innings (26 starts and six relief appearances) last year with Houston. He struck out 8.2 and walked 4.5 batters per nine, registering a 36.4% ground ball rate.

AL East Links: Murphy, Romine, Rays, McGowan

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MLBTR's Offseason In Review series continued earlier today with my look at the Orioles' winter moves, covering everything from the Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz signings to the lack of progress on extensions for Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters.  Here's some more from around the AL East…

  • Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters (including ESPN New York's Wallace Matthews) that he's "hearing from a lot of people about" catchers John Ryan Murphy and Austin Romine.  The Yankees have been shopping their catching depth for weeks, and now that Francisco Cervelli has won the backup job, Murphy and Romine could be more expendable.  Cashman, however, doesn't feel pressure to move either players.  "They’re assets. We’re not in any position where we have to do anything, but if something made sense, we’d consider it. But right now, we’re happy with what we’ve got," Cashman said.
  • Rays manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that he has informed Wilson Betemit and Jayson Nix that they won't be making Tampa's Opening Day roster, in order to give the two players extra time to find another Major League opportunity.  The two veterans signed minor league deals with the Rays earlier this winter and have the ability to opt out, though Betemit told Topkin that he would play for Tampa's Triple-A affiliate if he couldn't find a roster spot elsewhere (Topkin believes Nix feels the same way).
  • Mark Lowe is also open to returning to the Rays, the veteran right-hander tells Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times.  Lowe's family lives in the Tampa area and he praised the Rays organization, saying that he would be willing to pitch at Triple-A unless, like Betemit and Nix, he finds a job with another team.  The Rays granted Lowe his release earlier today after he was also told he wouldn't make the 25-man roster.
  • The Blue Jays' decision to make Dustin McGowan their fifth starter raises concerns about whether McGowan is up to the task both performance-wise and health-wise, Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi writes.  Since McGowan made the rotation almost by default given how the Jays' other options struggled, Davidi wonders "if he and the Blue Jays are playing a game of Russian Roulette with his career" by returning McGowan to a starting role before he's even fully stretched out.  The injury-plagued McGowan missed three of the previous four seasons with shoulder and knee surgeries but pitched effectively over 25 2/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2013. 
  • Corey Brown didn't invoke the opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Red Sox and will report to the club's Triple-A club, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Rays Release Mark Lowe

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The Rays have released reliever Mark Lowe at his request, reports ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). He had an opt-out clause that could be exercised this coming Friday.

Lowe, 30, had a strong spring for the Rays, allowing just one earned run in 10 1/3 innings while striking out 12 and walking just one batter. Of course, he struggled mightily in eleven MLB appearances last year for the Angels, issuing 8.5 free passes per nine against just 5.4 K/9. 

Rays Release Erik Bedard

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The Rays have released pitcher Erik Bedard, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 35-year-old hurler is expected to seek an MLB opportunity, though Tampa is still interested in bringing him back at the Triple-A level if he does not find a big league roster spot.

Throwing for the Astros last year, Bedard managed a 4.59 ERA in 151 innings over 26 starts and six relief appearances. He struck out batters at a clip of 8.2 K/9 while surrendering 4.5 BB/9 and posting a 36.4% ground ball rate. The veteran southpaw should hold some appeal for clubs looking for an arm to eat innings at the back of a rotation or, possibly, in the bullpen.

Alex Colome Suspended For 50 Games

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Rays pitcher Alex Colome has been placed on the restricted list after being hit with a 50-game PED suspension, the Commissioner's office announced today (story from MLB.com's Bill Chastain). Colome tested positive for the steroid Boldenone.

The 25-year-old righty had been an important part of the Tampa pitching depth. He was expected to open the year at the Triple-A level, but had been considered a candidate for the fifth rotation spot. Colome was strong last year, throwing 70 1/3 innings of 3.07 ERA ball at the Triple-A level and posting a 2.25 ERA in three big league starts before an elbow strain ended his season.

Landing at the fifth slot on Baseball America's ranking of the club's top prospects heading into the season, Colome is said to have made large strides forward in his command and feel. The hurler's durability is the main concern cited by BA.

Erik Bedard Could Opt Out Of Deal With Rays

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8:57pm: Cotillo now tweets that Bedard would be willing to pitch out of the Rays' bullpen if they add him to the 25-man roster. Otherwise, he will opt out of his contract.

4:50pm: Starting pitcher Erik Bedard will opt out of his deal with the Rays, Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish tweets. Bedard lost out on the Rays' fifth starter job, which went to Jake Odorizzi. Bedard has said he is not interested in pitching in relief. "There’s a lot of starters who have been hurt [in spring training] so there’s a lot of chances and I’ll probably go somewhere else," Bedard told Doug Harrison of CBC Sports earlier this year. Bedard is represented by Relativity Baseball.

Bedard pitched 151 innings in Houston last season, posting a 4.59 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9. He has a career 3.94 ERA in ten big-league seasons with the Orioles, Mariners, Red Sox, Pirates and Astros.

AL Notes: Ryan, Bourn, Lowe, Torrealba

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GM Terry Ryan, who is recovering from cancer treatments, made a recent visit to Twins spring training and talked about his current role with the team, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Ryan says he sometimes hears information that might be useful, but since he isn't in camp with the team, he merely relays it to assistant GM Rob Antony and the rest of the Twins' staff. "It would be unfair for me to sit in Minnesota not having seen one game and start dictating to Rob and Mike (Radcliff) and Wayne (Krivsky) and Jack (Goin) and Bill (Smith) and people around here that have seen a lot of baseball," Ryan says. "I say, ‘Here’s what I’ve heard. Here’s what they’re looking for.’ And I pass it on." Here are more notes from around the American League.

  • Michael Bourn's contract is unlikely to end up hurting the Indians to the degree that Travis Hafner's did, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes. Although there are reasons to worry about how Bourn will age, his defense means he isn't a "one-way player" the way Hafner was.
  • Reliever Mark Lowe's contract with the Rays allows him to opt out on March 31 if he does not make their 25-man roster, MLBTR's Chris Cotillo tweets. Lowe appeared in just 11 games for the Angels in 2013, but he received plenty of playing time out of the Rangers' bullpen in 2011 and 2012. He has a 4.17 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in parts of eight big-league seasons.
  • Catcher Yorvit Torrealba can ask to be released tomorrow if the Angels do not add him to their roster, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez. Torrealba does not want to go to the minor leagues, and will instead wait for an opportunity in the bigs. Torrealba, 35, hit .240/.295/.285 in 196 plate appearances as the backup to Wilin Rosario in Colorado in 2013.
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