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Odds & Ends: Cubs, Lowell, Mauer, Adrian

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Links for Wednesday…

Russell Branyan Down To Indians, Rays

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Free agent slugger Russell Branyan is down to the Indians and Rays, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The FOX writer says the Red Sox are "no longer a factor."

Yesterday, Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi made the Boston connection.  The Rays' interest was characterized as "mild," with the Tribe considered the frontrunner.  ESPN's Buster Olney tweets agreement that the Indians are the favorite.  MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince said the Indians made a Major League offer.

Branyan Has Offer From Indians

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2:53pm: Castrovince hears (via Twitter) that the Indians offered Branyan a major league deal.

10:19am: The Indians have an offer out to Branyan, though it's not clear whether it is for a major league deal, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. The club could platoon Branyan with Matt LaPorta, who has been cleared to resume baseball activities after undergoing surgeries on his left hip and left big toe.

7:59am: The Rays and Red Sox are in the mix for Russell Branyan, but neither one of those clubs has progressed as far as the Indians, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Rays have "mild interest" in the 30-homer man and the Red Sox are keeping tabs on him even though they don't appear to have room for the slugger unless they trade Mike Lowell.

The 33-year-old Branyan could play a variety of corner positions for the Indians, the club he broke in with in 1998. Branyan hit 31 homers and slugged .520 last year, but a slow second half and a back injury have limited interest in him this offseason. The Marlins aren't interested, though the Blue Jays could be.

Odds & Ends: Maya, Sheffield, Rays, Yankees

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Monday night linkage..

  • Jon Heyman of SI writes that the Dodgers and Rockies have watched Eric Gagne throw and both teams have shown the willingness to take a chance.  A few weeks ago we learned that Colorado was thinking about extending a non-roster invite to the 34-year-old.
  • The Red Sox might not be close to signing Cuban pitcher Yuniesky Maya, a source familiar with the negotiations tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.  There's a good chance that Maya will instead choose a team that offers a better opportunity to immediately enter its starting rotation.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson writes that Gary Sheffield would not be a good fit for the Nationals as he wants to play every day.  Ladson spoke to a major league source who believes that Sheffield will not accept a role as a backup.
  • Jason Beck of MLB.com fielded a question from a reader, asking why the Tigers dealt Curtis Granderson, only to pursue Johnny Damon instead.  Beck says that the Granderson trade brought Detroit financial flexibility and prospects.  He also credits agent Scott Boras for helping to create an opportunity for Damon.
  • Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg told 620-AM WDAE that the club's payroll will drop below $60MM in 2011, despite having a payroll north of $70MM this season.  Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times points out that while the club didn't plan to make any big additions this year, they found room for Rafael Soriano after dealing Scott Kazmir and Akinori Iwamura.
  • If Mike Jacobs doesn't make the Mets major league roster, Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News doesn't expect him to play for the club's Triple-A affiliate.  Even though his minor league deal doesn't have an out-clause, Rubin is "virtually positive" that the Mets would accommodate him with a trade or release.
  • In his latest mailbag, MLB.com's Bryan Hoch supports Yankees GM Brian Cashman's decision to wait to negotiate with upcoming free agents Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.  Hoch believes that both players should be confident that they'll both be taken care of eventually.

Rays Sign Joaquin Benoit

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The Rays signed reliever Joaquin Benoit to a minor league deal that will pay the righty $750K if he makes the team, plus up to $500K in performance bonuses. Benoit, 32, had rotator cuff surgery in January of '09. The Rays will have a bargain if he can return to his '07 level of performance: a 2.85 ERA and 9.5 K/9 in 82 innings. That season prompted the Rangers to sign Benoit to a two-year, $6MM deal.

The Rays' other minor league deals for pitchers this winter included Winston Abreu, Heath Phillips, R.J. Swindle, and Matt Bush.

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reported the deal and its terms via Twitter.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Rays Win B.J. Upton Arbitration Case

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The Rays have won in their arbitration case over B.J. Upton, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  The 25-year-old will make $3MM in 2010 rather than the $3.3MM he was seeking.

Upton had a down year offensively in 2009, hitting .241/.313/.373 with 11 HRs.  The center fielder's glove was still strong however, as he posted a UZR/150 of 11.8.

With this decision going in their favor, the Rays are now an unblemished 5-0 in arbitration cases, 4-0 under executive VP Andrew Friedman.

Odds & Ends: Upton, Jackson, Tigers, Lopez

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Friday night linkage..

  • B.J. Upton and the Rays had their arbitration hearing today and the decision from that hearing is expected tomorrow, writes Bill Chastain of MLB.com.  Tampa Bay is offering $3MM while Upton wants $3.3MM.
  • Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets that there is still no movement in talks between the D-Backs and Edwin Jackson.  Jackson is seeking $6.25MM while Arizona is offering $4.6MM.
  • If the Tigers ink Johnny Damon, the club may look make a trade to free up their glut in the outfield, writes James Schmehl of MLive.com.  Ryan Raburn and Clete Thomas could be shipped elsewhere in order to make room for Damon in the lineup.  Schmehl also writes that GM Dave Dombrowski may try to move Nate Robertson and Carlos Guillen, though their hefty contracts will be an impediment.
  • Phil Wood of MASNSports.com fails to understand the Nats' interest in pitcher Kris Benson.  The 35-year-old has not pitched a full season since 2006, when he posted a 4.82 ERA with 4.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 for the Orioles.
  • Australian catcher Guy Edmonds has signed with the Texas Rangers, according to Christian Nicolussi of The Daily Telegraph.  Nicolussi writes that the 16-year-old has the potential to outperform the country's greatest baseball export, Dave Nilsson.
  • ESPN's Rob Neyer defends Tim Lincecum's signing of a two-year deal with the Giants.  Tiny Tim was seeking $13MM in arbitration with the club.
  • Rangers pitchers Omar Beltre and Alexi Ogando – banned for the past five years due to their involvement in a visa fraud scandal – have received their visas and are expected in Spring Training, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.  In total, the Rangers are expecting 56 players in camp.
  • On his website, MetsBlog.com founder Matthew Cerrone was asked by a reader if reporters in the mainstream media "make up" hot stove rumors.  While he says that this is not the case, the seriousness of talks between clubs are, at times, not communicated effectively.  Because of the strange nature of the baseball rumor mill, Cerrone says that he and Tim Dierkes provide an important service to fans by adding context to hot stove rumblings.

Odds & Ends: Dye, Mets, Lincecum, Vazquez, Colon

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Some links for your Friday afternoon…

Johnny Damon Rumors: Thursday

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9:29pm: MLB.com's Scott Merkin concurs, adding that he believes the White Sox have about $4MM to offer Damon.

5:50pm: According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago's interest in Johnny Damon is more about "due diligence" than anything else, and if the price tag is around $7MM per season, that is beyond their budget.

4:48pm: Heyman tweets that the Tigers may have offered slightly more than $14MM.

4:21pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney tweets that executives expect Damon to sign with the Tigers.

4:15pm: Braves president John Schuerholz tells Jim Bowden that GM Frank Wren is "engaged" in talks with Damon and Scott Boras (Twitter link).

3:56pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that the Tigers have one and two-year offers on the table to Damon. The Braves and White Sox are also involved.

3:05pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Jim Bowden tweet that the White Sox and Tigers are bidding on Damon. 

2:48pm: Tigers owner Mike Ilitch has authorized a two-year $14MM offer, sources tell Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. It's hard to imagine Damon turning this kind of offer down.

Damon is also considering a one-year $7MM offer from the Tigers and a one-year offer from the Braves. Atlanta won't likely offer two years, since they have outfield prospects Jason Heyward and Jordan Schafer.

2:02pm: Damon is nearing a decision and could agree to a deal this week, reports ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Damon's best available offer comes from the Tigers. Insiders guess they're offering a one-year deal worth $7MM or so, but the sides haven't ruled out a two-year deal.

The Braves and Rays are still involved and a source tells Stark that the White Sox have interest. The Braves and Rays are talking one-year deals and neither club has offered as much as the Tigers.

1:21pm: The Tigers appear willing to top the Braves' offer to Johnny Damon, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Davidoff suggests that the Tigers could offer Damon $4.5MM, which would top Atlanta's offer of about $4MM.

Yesterday, we heard that the Braves offered Damon a deal worth less than $4MM. The deal includes deferred money, according to multiple reports. Earlier in the week, FOX Sports reported that Damon was still looking for a multi-year deal.

Odds & Ends: Startup, Rays, Reds, Dye, Mauer

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A few links for Monday night…

  • Morosi reports (via Twitter) that the Orioles have signed lefty reliever Will Startup to a minor league contract. The 25-year-old missed all of 2008 and most of 2009 with injuries, though prior to that he had a 2.56 ERA and held lefties to a .206 batting average in 175.2 career minor league innings. He spend last season in the Padres' system.
  • Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times passes along some quotes Rays' vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made during his appearance on 620-AM this evening. He basically said the team is keeping an eye on the market, though it's difficult to say if they'll be able to act on anything given their current financial situation.
  • After losing out on Erik Bedard, the Orioles are still looking to add an arm according to Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com (via Twitter).
  • MLB.com's Mark Sheldon lists the Reds' players who are out of options. Wladimir Balentien appears to be the biggest question mark.
  • Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets that the Braves are not interested in Jermaine Dye, but they could still make another addition if Johnny Damon's (or another free agent's) price falls. 
  • Unsurprisingly, Twins' CEO Jim Pohlad declined to talk about contract negotiations with Joe Mauer, though he did say that they try to stay away from deferred compensation.
  • In a mailbag, MLB.com's Matthew Leach says the Cardinals are likely done spending until Spring Training. 
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