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Rays Sign Luke Scott

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FEBRUARY 6th: The Rays announced that they have finalized their deal with Scott.  The 34-year-old will earn $2.75MM for this season, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).

JANUARY 24th: The Rays are set to re-sign Luke Scott, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (on Twitter). Topkin reported yesterday that there was mutual interest between the Rays and Scott, a PSI Sports Management client.

Scott made two trips to the disabled list as a result of oblique and back injuries in 2012. When healthy he hit 14 home runs and posted a .229/.285/.439 batting line in 344 plate appearances. However, there was limited buzz surrounding the 34-year-old this offseason.

Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has added many free agents this offseason. Joel Peralta obtained a two-year deal, and Roberto Hernandez, Kyle Farnsworth and James Loney signed one-year deals. The Rays also added notable players such as Jamey Wright and Juan Carlos Oviedo on minor league deals.

The market for designated hitters still includes Travis Hafner, Carlos Lee, Jim Thome, Juan Rivera and Bobby Abreu, as MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker shows. The Indians, Yankees and Astros are among the teams that could pursue help at DH.

Quick Hits: Johnson, Boras, Givens, Reds, Lowe

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The newest member of the Rays organization, Kelly Johnson, spoke with reporters on a conference call earlier today about his signing with Tampa Bay. The veteran second baseman/outfielder said he respected the Rays way of playing baseball under manager Joe Maddon, which made joining the franchise an easy decision. "I wasn't surprised they were interested. I knew if I wanted to go to Tampa I had to be willing to move around. They called and I was happy hear from them."

Here is what's happening around the league…

  • Scott Boras denied his involvement with the planting of a rumor about his client Jose Valverde and an imminent deal with the Marlins, reports Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. 
  • Mychal Givens will no longer play shortstop in the minors for the Orioles, but rather try his hand at pitching, writes Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. 
  • Reds GM Walt Jocketty has yet to hear any updates from Scott Rolen while he remains at a stalemate with his four remaining arbitration-eligible players, says Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
  • Francisco Liriano's deal with the Pirates remains on track to become official, but will not do so until his non-throwing arm heals so the veteran can take a physical, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
  • Derek Lowe will wait to see what other offers come his way after passing on a minor league deal from the Rockies, writes Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). 

Rays Sign Kelly Johnson

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The Rays announced that they have signed second baseman Kelly Johnson to a one-year deal. The SFX client will earn $2.45MM in 2013, according to the team.

The addition of Johnson will allow Tampa Bay to play Ben Zobrist in right field, but the club is expected to still use Zobrist at second base at times and Johnson may play some outfield, Ken Rosenthal tweets.  Johnson, who turns 31 next month, hasn't played in the outfield since his debut season in 2005 with the Braves.

Johnson hit .225/.313/.365 with 16 homers in 581 plate appearances for the Blue Jays in 2012.  For his career, Johnson owns a .255/.338/.429 slash line across seven seasons.  

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports first reported the agreement.

Rays Sign Kyle Farnsworth

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The Rays announced that they have signed free agent reliever Kyle Farnsworth to a one-year, Major League contract. Farnsworth will earn a base salary of  $1.25MM with the chance to double his earnings through incentives.

Farnsworth posted a 4.00 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 4.7 BB/9 and a 55.1% ground ball rate in 27 innings for the Rays in 2012. The 36-year-old earned $3.3MM in 2012, up from $2.6MM in 2011. He was linked to the Brewers this offseason and had multiple offers as recently as last week. He ultimately narrowed his choices to the Rays and another unknown club. Meister Sports Management represents Farnsworth.

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick first reported the agreement (Twitter links). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times all reported on the value of the deal (Twitter links). 

Rays Designate Brignac, Johnson For Assignment

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4:31pm: The Rays also designated Elliot Johnson for assignment, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). Johnson, 28, appeared in 123 games for the Rays in 2012. He posted a .242/.304/.350 batting line with six home runs in 331 plate appearances. The moves create roster space for Kyle Farnsworth and Kelly Johnson, whose deals are now official. 

4:05pm: The Rays will designate Reid Brignac for assignment, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). The Rays are in need of 40-man roster space, presumably to make official the signings of Luke Scott, Kelly Johnson and Kyle Farnsworth.

Brignac appeared in 16 games for the Rays last year, playing second base, third base, shortstop and left field. The 27-year-old spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .231/.323/.353 batting line in 400 plate appearances as a middle infielder. Brignac, who is not yet arbitration eligible, has a .227/.268/.317 batting line in parts of five MLB seasons.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Rays, Brignac

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The Yankees made one of their trademark low-risk, high-reward signings last week when they agreed to a one-year, $2MM deal with Travis Hafner that includes another $2MM in performance bonuses.  The left-handed hitter has a career batting line of .287/.391/.534 against right-handed pitching and could prove to be a great pickup if he stays healthy.  Meanwhile, they still have some business to take care of on the other side of the plate.  Here's more on that and other news out of the AL East..

  • Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman told Jim Bowden (via Twitter) and Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that he is not finished yet and they are still looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder.  The Yankees recently inked Juan Rivera to a minor league deal, but they'll look for a stronger option in the outfield.
  • The Rays have a similar need for a right-handed hitting outfielder/designated hitter/first baseman, but they likely won't find their man before spring training with limited options available, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Carlos Lee and Russ Canzler are among the hitters still available on the open market.
  • More from Topkin, who writes that there was trade chatter surrounding infielder Reid Brignac last week.  Brignac is out-of-options and seems unlikely to make the 40-man roster.  Aside from Brignac, the Rays still have to clear two more roster spots.  Catcher Stephen Vogt and reliever Dane De La Rosa are candidates to be DFA'd.

Kevin Millwood To Retire

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After a 16-year major league career, right-hander Kevin Millwood has decided to call it a career, according to Richard Walker of the Shelby Star.  The 38-year-old spent last season with the Mariners and posted a 4.25 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and a 44.7% ground ball rate in 28 starts.

Millwood says that he told agent Scott Boras that he only wanted to pitch close to his home in Georgia, indicating the Braves and Rays were really his only two choices.  When neither team showed interest, he decided that he wouldn't pitch in 2013.  The veteran says that there's still plenty in the tank, but he would rather spend more time with his family than be on the road this season.

“I feel like I can still throw it well and going out on a high note is a big deal,” Millwood said. “I just felt it was time to be closer to home and to be around the kids more often.”

Last season was a solid effort for Millwood and was punctuated by his six inning contribution to the Mariners' no-hitter over the Dodgers in June.  For his career, Millwood owns a 4.11 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.  He also earned just under $90MM in his time with the Braves, Phillies, Indians, Rangers, Orioles, Rockies, and Mariners.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Reds, Bourn, Lohse, Hendrickson

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As February gets underway, Michael Bourn still stands as the best available free agent on the open market.  Jim Bowden of ESPN.com (on Twitter) opines that the Mets, Mariners, and Rays are the teams that make the most sense for the center fielder.  As for the best starter left on the free agent pile, Bowden sees the Red Sox, Rangers, Angels, Brewers, and Orioles as the best fits for Kyle Lohse.  Here's more from around baseball..

  • Don't look for the Marlins to make any major moves the remainder of the offseason, says Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter). The team will enter spring training with the roster it currently has in place.
  • Regardless of whether or not Scott Rolen joins the Reds, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that the club is facing a serious roster crunch.  It seems that the veteran wants to play in 2013 but money will be a determining factor in his decision.  Recently, the Dodgers reached out to Rolen to express interest.
  • The Orioles expect to announce the signing of veteran left-handerMark Hendrickson to a minor league contract with a spring training invite early next week, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  The O's also hope to announce their deal with Jair Jurrjens and remain interested in bringing Joe Saunders back despite the depth that they've added.
  • Torii Hunter says that enjoyed his time with the Angels, but he also felt misled when the club told him they didn't have enough money to keep him before signing Josh Hamilton to a five-year, $125MM deal, writes Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  The veteran hooked on with the Tigers this winter in pursuit of a World Series ring.
  • The Tigers had a tough time trying to find organizational depth this winter as many players figured that their path to the majors would be blocked, writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.  Regardless, assistant General Manager Al Avila says that the club is done signing minor league players and is ready for spring training.

Daniel Seco contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Brewers, Lyon, Reds

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The latest from around MLB…

  • Rays closer Fernando Rodney continues to express confidence at the Caribbean Series that he'll get a two-year extension finalized, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports (on Twitter). Agent Dan Lozano recently said no talks have taken place between the Rays and Rodney, who's entering the final year of his contract.
  • Though the Brewers wanted to sign Lyle Overbay and Juan Rivera, the free agents went to American League teams in part because NL teams can't offer playing time as a DH, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter).
  • Free agent reliever Brandon Lyon is still talking to several teams yet nothing is imminent, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports (on Twitter). Meister Sports Management represents the right-hander.
  • The Reds are monitoring the relief market and could make a deal if the price is low enough, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reported this morning (Twitter links). Though the Reds like their bullpen, GM Walt Jocketty acknowledged the team is "looking.''  The Reds have added Manny Parra since Crasnick provided this update, so it's not clear if they'll continue searching for arms.
  • MLBTR is seeking someone to lead an effort to fix a bug a few readers are experiencing, in which ads display incorrectly. Experience with DFP Small Business and TypePad is a plus. If you're interested in this job, please email Tim Dierkes at mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and explain your qualifications.

Heyman On Abreu, Blue Jays, Rays

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links)…

  • The Marlins and Rays are among the possibilities for Bobby Abreu, Heyman reports. Abreu, 38 in March, hopes to extend his career following an unremarkable offensive season in 2012.
  • The Blue Jays are still in the bullpen market along with the Mets, Heyman reports. The Marlins, Astros and Dodgers might also be involved in pursuit of relievers, Heyman adds. Here are the details on the Mets’ bullpen targets.
  • The Rays will likely officially announce their deals with Kyle Farnsworth, Luke Scott and Kelly Johnson next week, Heyman reports.
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