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Quick Hits: Gonzalez, Pujols, Young, Royals

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Vladimir Guerrero looked pretty good in his workout for the Diamondbacks, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter links). Arizona has some interest in signing the veteran DH, but he's still considered a long shot according to Heyman. Here links for Monday…

  • The Rays are a "possible fit" for Mike Gonzalez, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Last week we heard that the left-handed reliever could sign within ten days.
  • Albert Pujols told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he’s comfortable in Anaheim even though he hasn’t hit like a $240MM player since signing with the Angels.“Why not? This is my family,” he said. “These guys are my family. I feel pretty comfortable.”
  • Ken Davidoff of the New York Post suggests the Tigers could release Delmon Young to make a statement about the conduct they expect from their players without hurting their team in the standings.
  • Jim Callis of Baseball America will be very surprised if the Royals don't select a college pitcher with their top pick in the upcoming amateur draft. Callis suggests the Royals could take Louisiana State right-hander Kevin Gausman with the fifth overall selection.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Rays Sign Hideki Matsui

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9:29pm: Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times hears the team has not given Matsui any guarantees or promises about a call-up to the big leagues (Twitter link). Godzilla will likely join their Triple-A affiliate in mid-May.

10:13am: The Rays announced that they signed Hideki Matsui to a minor league contract. Matsui, who turns 38 in June, will report to extended Spring Training on Wednesday.

“Over the past two decades, Hideki has been one of the most consistently productive hitters in the world,” Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “We are happy to add his ability, approach and professionalism to our organization.”

Matsui spent last year with the Athletics and posted a .251/.321/.375 line with 12 home runs and 28 doubles in 585 plate appearances. However, he finished strong, posting a .295/.353/.425 line in the second half. Matsui, a Wasserman Media Group client, has been preparing for the 2012 season in the New York area, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network, who first reported that the sides were nearing a deal.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Rays Expected To Sign Hideki Matsui

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The Rays are expected to sign designated hitter Hideki Matsui, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (Twitter links). Matsui, who turns 38 in June, could sign a minor league contract with the Rays before long.

Matsui spent last year with the Athletics and posted a .251/.321/.375 line with 12 home runs and 28 doubles in 585 plate appearances. However, he finished strong, posting a .295/.353/.425 line in the second half. Matsui, a Wasserman Media Group client, has been preparing for the 2012 season in the New York area, according to Curry.

Quick Hits: Rays, Inge, Red Sox, Indians

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On this day in 1997, the Yankees traded Ruben Rivera, Rafael Medina, and $3MM to the Padres for players to be named later, Homer Bush, and minor leaguer Gordon Amerson.  A little more than a month later, the Padres later sent Hideki Irabu to the Yankees as one of the PTBNLs to complete the deal.  Here's a look at today's links..

Cafardo On Peavy, White Sox, Twins, Liriano, Rays

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The Red Sox are struggling early on in the season, but no one in the American League East seems to be off to a hot start, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  However, as one American League GM said, "I will never comment on any team or even my own based on April. You just don’t get a fair assessment. You may get a snapshot of what you may be short on, or what you may have overevaluated. But even then, you have to be careful about making hasty decisions in April because there’s a long way to go." Here's more from Cafardo..

  • White Sox right-hander Jake Peavy is back on some teams’ radars as a midseason acquisition after a strong start to the year.  Scouts have been impressed with Peavy’s overall stuff and the fact that he is notching strikeouts and throwing 92-93 m.p.h.  Peavy, 30, earns $17MM this season and the White Sox would likely have to take on a portion of what’s remaining if he’s dealt.  However, he has a partial no-trade to eight teams and the White Sox may not part with him if they're still relevant in July.
  • The Twins had some bites on Francisco Liriano this winter but didn’t pull the trigger.  Because Minnesota probably won’t re-sign him, they're hoping to land a prospect or two for him at the trade deadline.  He'll have to pitch better for that to happen, however.
  • If the Rays pitching is clicking as expected, Wade Davis will be trade bait at some point this season.  So far though, in his current role as long man, scouts love what they see.
    A longtime National League scout who has been keeping an eye on the Rays this season says that the club could use another bullpen piece.
  • There has been some questioning of Blue Jays manager John Farrell’s pitching moves at times, according to a major league source.
  • Cafardo asked Pedro Martinez whether he could pitch right now and he responded, "Not right now. I would need about 20 days."
  • Cafardo is surprised that Ivan Rodriguez is retiring and one National League GM said that the veteran, "is probably better defensively right now than 75 percent of the catchers in the league."

Rosenthal On Oswalt, Cardinals, White Sox, Rays

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Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • Teams are again reaching out to Roy Oswalt, including the Red Sox and Cardinals.  The Red Sox's needs are obvious and the Cardinals' needs can grow depending on whether Chris Carpenter returns and if they decide to move Lance Lynn back to the bullpen.  Oswalt, according to a source, is throwing bullpen sessions every other day.
  • The White Sox might look at the trade deadline differently than they have in the past.  The extra wild card could dissuade them from moving veterans but the new CBA could make them more inclined to trade potential free agents such as A.J. Pierzynski.  It's extremely doubtful that they would extend the qualifying offer to the catcher in order to receive draft pick compensation as it could cost them $12MM.  The Rays and Dodgers could both be potential landing spots for the veteran.
  • The Rays spent the entire winter trying to upgrade their catching situation and it remains a work in progress.  However, Tampa Bay was able to win 91 games without major production from the position last year and the club believes that they are better all-around than in 2011.

Quick Hits: Marlins, Galarraga, Rays, Rodriguez

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Here's the latest from around the majors as the Rangers and Tigers start a four-game set in Detroit..

Rays Claim Brandon Allen

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The Rays claimed first baseman Brandon Allen off of waivers from the Athletics, his agency announced on Twitter. Both teams have confirmed that Allen has been claimed. The SFX client had been designated for assignment by the A's last week.

Allen, 26, has a .205/.291/.375 line in 274 career plate appearances with the Diamondbacks and Athletics. The left-handed hitting 2004 draft pick posted a .200/.277/.377 line in 195 MLB plate appearances last year, but has a .268/.355/.489 line in eight minor league seasons.

Minor Moves: Pendleton, Stange, Main, Canham

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Here are the most recent minor moves, via Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus and Matt Eddy of Baseball America…

  • The Rays have signed right-hander Lance Pendleton, reports Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). The 28-year-old posted a 6.75 ERA in 18 2/3 innings split between the Yankees and Astros last season.
  • The Diamondbacks released right-hander Daniel Stange, Goldstein tweets. Stange, who pitched in the Majors in 2010, owns a 4.36 ERA with 8.5 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in seven minor league seasons. Goldstein considered the 2006 seventh rounder a sleeper early on in his minor league career.
  • The Marlins signed Michael Main, Goldstein tweets. Miami has listed the 2007 first rounder as an outfielder, though the Rangers drafted him as a right-handed pitcher. Main posted a 4.95 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 305 innings in the minor league systems of the Rangers and Giants.
  • The Cardinals signed catcher Mitch Canham, Goldstein tweets. The Padres selected Canham in the supplemental first round back in 2007.
  • The Orioles released former minor league closer Winston Abreu, Eddy tweets. The right-hander signed with the Mexico City Red Devils.

Minor Moves: Fossum, Johnson, Wells, Buschmann

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We'll keep track of today's minor moves right here…

  • The Orioles released left-hander Casey Fossum and catcher Josh Johnson, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com.  Both players were at Baltimore's extended Spring Training camp on minor league contracts.
  • The White Sox have parted ways with Kip Wells, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The White Sox had signed the right-hander to a minor league deal ten days ago.
  • The Rays acquired right-hander Matt Buschmann from the Nationals for cash and assigned their new acquisition to Double-A, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 28-year-old posted a 6.16 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 134 1/3 innings with the Padres' top affiliates last year. Buschmann has started 116 minor league games in six pro seasons.
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