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Padres Acquire Jason Bartlett

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The Padres have acquired Jason Bartlett from the Rays, tweets Marty Caswell of XX1090 Sports Radio.  San Diego will also receive a player to be named later from Tampa Bay in exchange for Brandon Gomes, Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos, and Cole Figueroa.  The PTBNL will be a minor leaguer and will be worked out in advance of Opening Day, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.

The two sides reportedly had a deal worked out last week in which Bartlett would be shipped westward for Russell and Ramos.  There were rumblings that the Rays were concerned about Ramos' health but the club apparently feels comfortable enough with a new deal in place.

The swap marks a homecoming of sorts for Bartlett, who was originally drafted by the Padres in 2001 before being shipped to the Twins roughly one year later.  The shortstop shined in 2009 but slumped in 2010, hitting .254/.324/.350 with four home runs in 532 plate appearances.

With seemingly every Rays reliever on the free agent market, and limited spending power, Rays president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had to get creative to find relief help. Russell, a 27-year-old right-hander, pitched 15 2/3 innings for the Padres in 2010, posting 10.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 4.02 ERA. He also appeared in 50 Triple-A games, posting a 4.88 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9. It marks the second time in two years that he's been traded; the Padres acquired him in the 2009 Jake Peavy deal.

Ramos, 26, pitched briefly for the 2010 Padres, but spent much of the season at Triple-A Portland, where he posted a 3.28 ERA as a swingman. He has never struck out an overwhelming number of hitters (5.9 K/9 in 2010) and his walk rate rose to 4.0 BB/9 this year. The lefty turned down the chance to sign with Tampa Bay when they drafted him in the 6th round of the 2002 draft. Three years later, he signed with the Padres after they selected him 35th overall.

Figueroa was ranked as the Padres' 30th best prospect heading into 2010 by Baseball America.  According to the publication, the middle infielder is a patient hitter with lackluster power.  Defensively, he has an average arm and great hands, meaning that he'll likely wind up at second base.

Gomes, a right-handed pitcher, has spent the last two seasons in Double-A San Antonio.  Since earning the promotion, the 26-year-old has registered a 2.24 ERA with 12.0 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 116 appearances.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Mets Like Tom Gorzelanny, Matt Garza

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Mets GM Sandy Alderson is believed to have inquired on Tom Gorzelanny, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. The Mets like Gorzelanny's ability to strike opponents out and the fact that he would fit into their budget.

Gorzelanny made $800K last year and is set to receive a raise through arbitration. He posted a 4.09 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 in 136 1/3 innings for the Cubs in 2010. He became more hittable as the season progressed, but pitched respectably in his return to the rotation. The Tigers reportedly contacted the Cubs about Gorzelanny earlier in the month, when the Cubs appeared to be shopping him.

The Mets have also discussed Matt Garza internally, according to Puma. However, he's an unlikely fit, since he's about to earn a substantial raise. Garza earned $3.35MM in 2010 and could earn over $6MM through arbitration in 2011.

Dodgers, Giants, Rays Finalists For Guillermo Mota

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Guillermo Mota has been offered minor league contracts from five clubs and the "finalists" for his services are the Dodgers, Giants and Rays, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (Twitter link).  Mota, 37, signed a $750K minor league deal with San Francisco last winter, but it paid off in the form of his first World Series ring.  Mota posted a 4.33 ERA in 56 relief appearances last season, including 2 1/3 scoreless innings in the Fall Classic.

The well-traveled Mota has pitched for seven teams in his 12-year career, and it would be his third stint in Dodger blue if he were to sign with Los Angeles.  The Rays have already added one veteran reliever today in Joel Peralta, but have a clear need for more bullpen help given how many of their 2010 relievers are testing the free agent waters.

Bartlett Trade Holdup Nearly Resolved

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THURSDAY, 1:30pm: The issue that slowed the trade down is "nearly resolved," according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 6:23pm: Ramos told Dan Hayes of the North County Times that he's healthy and only on the DL to create roster space (Twitter links). The Padres contacted him yesterday to make sure that he was healthy. 

MONDAY, 9:25pm: Ramos, who is now playing in the Mexican League, is on the disabled list, according to MiLB.com. His health may have slowed down trade talks.

FRIDAY, 6:12pm: The Rays are looking to get a second opinion on either Russell or Ramos after the pitchers went through their physicals, says Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  "The problem is not believed to be serious, but there are no guarantees the deal will go through as originally agreed upon," Center writes.

WEDNESDAY, 10:20pm: The deal is done, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

6:43pm: The Rays say they have nothing to announce and that reports of a deal are premature, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter link).

5:45pm: The Padres have acquired Jason Bartlett from the Rays for relievers Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos. 

The Padres drafted Bartlett in 2001 and traded him to Minnesota just over one year later for Brian Buchanan. Five years after that, the Twins shipped Bartlett to Tampa Bay with Matt Garza for Delmon Young, so the Padres' new shortstop is no stranger to being dealt.

After a 2009 season in which he made the All-Star team and batted .320/.389/.490, Bartlett slumped to .254/.324/.350 last year. The Rays can now ease Reid Brignac into an everyday role. The 24-year-old batted .256/.307/.385 in 326 plate appearances in his first extended taste of the major leagues.

With seemingly every Rays reliever on the free agent market, and limited spending power, Rays president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman had to get creative to find relief help. Russell, a 27-year-old right-hander, pitched 15 2/3 innings for the Padres in 2010, posting 10.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 4.02 ERA. He also appeared in 50 Triple-A games, posting a 4.88 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9. It marks the second time in two years that he's been traded; the Padres acquired him in the 2009 Jake Peavy deal.

Ramos, 26, pitched briefly for the 2010 Padres, but spent much of the season at Triple-A Portland, where he posted a 3.28 ERA as a swingman. He has never struck out an overwhelming number of hitters (5.9 K/9 in 2010) and his walk rate rose to 4.0 BB/9 this year. The lefty turned down the chance to sign with Tampa Bay when they drafted him in the 6th round of the 2002 draft. Three years later, he signed with the Padres after they selected him 35th overall.

The Padres had a vacancy at short since Miguel Tejada signed with the division rival Giants. GM Jed Hoyer met that need with Bartlett, but further depletes a 'pen that saw two relievers head to Florida's other team in the Cameron Maybin deal.

MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter) first reported that the deal was official, Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that the Rays would make a trade (Twitter links), Dan Hayes of the North County Times (Twitter link), Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (Twitter link) and Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune also reported on the story as it broke.

“Heavy Action” On Bobby Jenks

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THURSDAY, 10:34am: Jenks is looking for "closer money," according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). Heyman suggests that means Jenks is looking for at least $8MM.

WEDNESDAY, 9:07pm: It's a good time to be a free agent reliever, and one of the biggest on the market (both literally and figuratively) is former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that there is "heavy action" on the right-hander, with both the Rays and Yankees showing interest. Jenks is not close to a decision, however.

Jenks, 30 in March, was non-tendered a few weeks ago after earning $7.5MM in 2010. Although his 4.44 ERA this season was the worst of his career, he struck out 10.4 batters per nine innings while walking just 2.9 unintentionally. Jenks also had a 58.3% ground ball rate, tenth best among relievers with at 50 IP, and his trademark velocity even crept up late in the season. 

Rafael Soriano is the best reliever on the market, but Jenks represents a reasonably priced alternative for teams looking to add a proven closer. The Rays are looking to replace Soriano while the Yankees have some money to spend after losing out in Cliff Lee. They would use Jenks in a setup role, of course.

Rays To Sign Joel Peralta

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The Rays have agreed to sign Joel Peralta for about $900K, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The Nationals non-tendered Peralta earlier in the month, after a strong 2010 campaign.

Peralta, 35 in March, posted a 2.02 ERA with 9.0 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 49 innings of work for the Nationals in 2010. A late bloomer who didn't reach the major leagues until his age 29 season, Peralta has a 4.22 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 260 career relief appearances. He has always generated lots of fly balls and this year ranked fifth in fly ball rate (55.6%) among big league relievers with at least 40 innings pitched.

The Rays re-signed another 2010 non-tender, J.P. Howell, earlier in the week, but their bullpen figures to look considerably different next year. Joaquin Benoit and Randy Choate have already agreed to deals elsewhere and Rafael Soriano, Lance Cormier, Grant Balfour, Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls and are all free agents.

Padres Notes: First Base, Bartlett, Cabrera

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Padres GM Jed Hoyer appeared on XX1090 sports radio in San Diego recently, touching on a variety of topics. Let's round it up…

  • XX1090 producer/reporter Marty Caswell tweets that Hoyer said the team's first base solution will likely be a free agent signing, not a trade. It would also be a one-year solution. Hoyer joked that he won't shave until they have a new first baseman.
  • "It’s something I can hope can get resolved quickly," said Hoyer with regards to the Jason Bartlett non-trade (via Caswell's Twitter). "There are several different issues we're working on." SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that the deal is "better than 50-50" to get done.
  • Hoyer said he wouldn't mind having shortstop Everth Cabrera start the season in the minors to build confidence and let him accrue at-bats, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. A Bartlett would trade would certainly help make Hoyer's wish come true.

Minor Deals: Yankees, Chulk, Van Every, Coats

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Let's take a look at today's notable minor league deals, with the most recent updates at the top:

  • The Yankees signed Doug Bernier, Buddy Carlyle, Neal Cotts and Gustavo Molina to minor league deals, the team announced. The club officially announced its deals with Andy Sisco and outfielder-turned-pitcher Brian Anderson.
  • The Pirates have welcomed back Donald Veal just two weeks after non-tendering him, Eddy tweets.  Veal underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year. 
  • The Rays picked up right-handed reliever Jonah Bayliss, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter).  Bayliss turned in a 3.58 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 for Houston's Triple-A club last season.
  • The Athletics signed right-handed reliever Vinnie Chulk, tweets Eddy.  Chulk appeared in 28 games for Pittsburgh's Triple-A affiliate in 2010 and spent the other half of the year with the Hiroshima Carp.  His numbers overseas left much to be desired but the righty carries more than 250 games of big league experience.
  • First baseman Andy Tracy has hooked on with the Diamondbacks, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy.  The left-handed hitter, who turned 37-years-old on Saturday, has spent the last three years with the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate.  In 2010 he hit .275/.373/.492, numbers that are slightly better than his career averages.
  • The Nationals signed outfielder Jonathan Van Every, according to Eddy (via Twitter).  The 31-year-old boasts a career .471 slugging percentage in Triple-A and can play all three outfield positions.  Van Every played in 39 games for Boston's varsity squad across the last three years.
  • Washington picked up another versatile, left-handed hitting outfielder in Buck Coats, Eddy tweets.  Coats, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Cubs, has a lifetime slash line of .294/.352/.407 at the Triple-A level.
  • The Cubs invited first baseman Bryan LaHair and outfielder Brad Snyder to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter).

Odds & Ends: Counsell, Ibanez, Johnson, Sheffield

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Exactly one year ago, the Angels signed Hideki Matsui. Today, the slugger finalized his one-year agreement with the A's. Here are today's links…

Nationals Aggressively Pursuing Greinke, Garza

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The Nationals are "aggressively pursuing" a trade for Matt Garza or Zack Greinke, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. However, Kilgore’s source doesn’t expect Washington to trade for either pitcher. Earlier today, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reported that Royals GM Dayton Moore is actively gauging the market for Greinke.

The Rays and Royals could have interest in Ian Desmond and Jordan Zimmermann, but the Nationals are not likely to move either player. However, Kilgore hears that the team would move Danny Espinosa “in a heartbeat.” Roger Bernadina would be available and it’s possible that the Nationals would consider trading Drew Storen or Sean Burnett, according to Kilgore.

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