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Nationals Remain In Mix For Carl Pavano

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The Nationals are still one of the primary suitors for Carl Pavano, a source tells Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The top free agent pitcher still on the market, Pavano figures to decide on a team after Christmas, according to Ladson.

Most recently, we heard that the Brewers, following their acquisition of Zack Greinke, were officially out of the running for Pavano's services. The Twins have long been considered a favorite to bring the 34-year-old back after his successful 2010 season in Minnesota. However, besides the Nationals, few other clubs have been seriously linked to Pavano in recent weeks.

When we asked last weekend where Pavano would sign, about 14% of over 11,000 MLBTR readers predicted that the right-hander would end up in Washington. If the Nats do land Pavano, it would be the second major free agent addition of their offseason. Their $126MM commitment to Jayson Werth and small deals for Rick Ankiel and Chien-Ming Wang place them second among baseball's spenders so far this winter.

Minor League Transactions: Rangers, Twins, Nats

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Here are some minor transactions from the past week, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy…

  • The Rangers signed two former first-round draft picks in left-hander Zach Jackson and utility infielder Omar Quintanilla.  Jackson, picked 32nd overall by the Blue Jays in the 2004 draft, has a 5.81 ERA in 22 career major league games (17 of them starts) with the Brewers and Indians since 2006.  Jackson spent 2010 pitching for Toronto's Triple-A affiliate in Las Vegas.  Quintanilla was taken with the 33rd pick of the 2003 draft by Oakland, and then dealt to the Rockies in 2005 as part of the Eric Byrnes trade.  Quintanilla posted a .567 OPS in 559 plate appearances with Colorado between 2005 and 2009. 
  • The Twins signed catchers Steve Holm and Rene Rivera to minor league contracts.  A 17th-round pick of the Giants in the 2001 draft, Holm has spent his entire 10-year pro career with in the San Francisco system, racking up 107 major league plate appearances in 2008 and 2009.  Rivera last played in the majors as a member of the Mariners in 2006, and has since played in the Dodgers, Mets and Yankees' systems.
  • The Nationals signed right-hander Harvey Garcia and catcher Carlos Maldonado.  Garcia had an eight-game cup of coffee with Florida in 2007 and has since pitched in the Pirates and Dodgers' systems.  Eddy says Garcia may have earned a contract due to his solid work this year in the Venezuelan League.  Maldonado, 31, was designated for assignment by Washington in September and then granted free agency after the season.  Maldonado has been in pro ball since 1996 and has 4226 career minor league plate appearances (a .687 OPS) but only 62 PAs in the bigs.

Pirates Claim Aaron Thompson, DFA Ledezma

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The Pirates announced that they claimed left-hander Aaron Thompson off of waivers from the Nationals and designated Wil Ledezma for assignment.

Thompson, a 2005 first rounder who turns 24 in February, posted a 5.65 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 141 2/3 innings for the Nationals' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates last year. The longtime Marlins farmhand has yet to appear in the major leagues.

The Pirates agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Ledezma last month, avoiding arbitration. The lefty, who turns 30 next month, posted a 6.86 ERA with 10.1 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 19 2/3 innings for the Pirates last year.

Nationals Sign Sean Burnett To Two-Year Extension

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The Nationals have officially signed Sean Burnett to a two-year extension. The $3.95MM contract, which was first reported by Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, covers Burnett's final two seasons of arbitration eligibility and includes a mutual option for 2013. Agent Jim Munsey represents the left-hander. 

The 28-year-old became a key reliever for Nationals manager Jim Riggleman in 2010, his first full season in Washington. Burnett, a product of the deal that sent Joel Hanrahan and Lastings Milledge to Pittsburgh, posted a 2.14 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 63 innings last year. The former first rounder limited hits and homers and induced lots of ground balls (54.3% ground ball rate) as usual.

Burnett will earn $1.4MM, including a $100K bonus, in 2011 and $2.3MM in 2012. The mutual option covers Burnett's first free agent year and would pay him $3.5MM or a $250K buyout. The Nationals won their arbitration case with Burnett last offseason (775K vs. 925K), which presumably saved them money on this extension.

Matt Chico Clears Waivers

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WEDNESDAY: Chico was outrighted to Triple-A, the Nationals announced on Twitter.  He'll be in spring training camp as a non-roster invitee.

TUESDAY: The Nationals have designated Matt Chico for assignment, according to the team (on Twitter). The 27-year-old left-hander started one game for Washington in 2010 after missing the 2009 season because of Tommy John surgery.

Back in May, the club designated Chico for assignment in a purely procedural move designed to send him to the minor leagues. The 2003 third rounder posted a 3.62 ERA in 141 2/3 innings as a starter at Double-A and Triple-A this year. His strikeout (5.5 K/9) and walk (2.6 BB/9) were both low, but he seems to be healthy.

Jeff Francis Suitors

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The Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Rangers, and Yankees have varying degrees of interest in free agent lefty Jeff Francis, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Crasnick named five interested clubs a month ago: the Pirates, Mariners, Brewers, Astros, and Rockies.  It appears that a few teams dropped out and others jumped in; this is the first we've seen of the Yankees' interest.  MLB.com's Thomas Harding learned from Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd today that the team will continue to monitor Francis.

Francis, 30 in January, posted a 5.00 ERA, 5.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 47% groundball rate in 104 1/3 innings this year for the Rockies.  His peripheral stats suggest Francis' work was more deserving of an ERA around 4.00.  The southpaw missed all of last season after having shoulder surgery in February of '09, and had some lingering issues this year.  The Rockies declined his $7MM club option in November.  He figures to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal.

Nationals To Sign Rick Ankiel

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The Nationals officially agreed to terms with outfielder Rick Ankiel on a one-year, $1.5MM deal.  He can earn another $1.25MM in performance bonuses.

Ankiel, a Scott Boras client, signed a one-year deal with the Royals a year ago but failed to deliver.  The 31-year-old former pitcher still provides pop against righties and can play all three outfield positions, but has had difficulty hitting lefties, getting on base, and staying healthy.

Earlier this month, Boras and the Nationals hammered out an agreement worth 84 times as much for right fielder Jayson Werth.  The Nats shipped out Josh Willingham, but still have Nyjer Morgan, Roger Bernadina, and Michael Morse in the outfield mix.  Bernadina and Ankiel will compete for the left field job, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

SI's Jon Heyman broke the news of Ankiel's agreement.

Minor Deals: Stokes, Diaz, Barton, Brewers

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Rounding up today's minor signings:

  • The Blue Jays signed Brian Stokes, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter). The 31-year-old struggled through 16 2/3 innigns for the Angels last year, but was useful for the Mets from 2008-09 before they sent him to L.A. for Gary Matthews Jr..
  • The A's signed right-hander Jonathan Ortiz, who combined a sinker and an above-average changeup to post 11.8 K/9 in the Yankees system this year, according to Eddy (all links go to Twitter).
  • The Tigers signed shortstop Argenis Diaz, who was non-tendered by the Pirates despite his strong glovework.
  • The Angels signed Ryan Braun – not the Brewers slugger, but the 30-year-old right-hander who posted a 2.20 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 5.3 BB/9 in 57 1/3 innings at Triple-A Charlotte last year. He last pitched in the majors for the 2007 Royals.
  • The Twins signed Matt Brown, a former Angel who should provide corner infield depth.
  • The Pirates re-signed Tyler Yates, who missed last season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
  • Brian Barton, who hit 19 homers and stole 18 bases in the Atlantic League this year, signed with the Reds, according to Eddy (on Twitter).
  • The Cubs signed lefty Polin Trinidad, who posted a 4.81 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 149 2/3 innings in the upper minor for the Astros last year (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers signed Edwin Maysonet and Shawn Riggans to minor league deals and invited them to Spring Training, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). Maysonet, 29, appeared in 46 games as a backup infielder for the Astros in 2008-09 and hit .248/.308/.329 in 356 minor league plate apperances last year. Riggans, who spent parts of four seasons with the Rays, barely played in 2010.
  • The Twins inked lefty Chuck James, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.  The 29-year-old former Brave had rotator cuff surgery in September of 2008.
  • The Nationals announced seven signings, including previously unreported contracts for Ryan Mattheus, Michael Aubrey, and Brian Bixler.  Mattheus, a 27-year-old right-handed reliever, was acquired by the Nats at the '09 trade deadline in the Joe Beimel deal, the same month he had Tommy John surgery.  His is a Major League deal.  Aubrey, drafted 11th overall by the Indians in 2003, hit .235/.310/.495 at Triple-A this year.  Bixler, a defensive-minded utility infielder, was acquired by Washington from the Pirates in August.

Cubs, Rangers Ahead Of Nats For Brandon Webb

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The Cubs and Rangers have jumped ahead of the Nationals in the Brandon Webb sweepstakes, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.  Webb is already throwing and preparing like usual for spring, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  On Friday, we learned that Webb is likely to decide on a team soon.

About a month ago, Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer told MLBTR, "Brandon is hungry, excited, and ready to start 30 plus times in 2011."  Webb is two years removed from the Majors due to shoulder issues.

Zack Greinke Trade Reactions

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After what's sure to be one of the biggest trades of the offseason, let's take a look at some reactions to the Zack Greinke trade from around the baseball world:

  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy passes on some quotes from Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun, who's reportedly "fired up" about his team's offseason. "…I don't think we could have possibly accomplished more than we did…" said Braun.
  • McCalvy also has a quote from Brewers' GM Doug Melvin, who told Greinke it feels like they're getting C.C. Sabathia all over again, but for two years, and maybe longer (Twitter link).
  • Tom Haudricourt from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has more from Melvin, who calls the move a "now trade." Haudricourt says Milwaukee was originally on Greinke's no-trade list, but that changed after he switched agents. His new representation at CAA have a good relationship with Braun and Corey Hart.
  • After adding the haul from the Greinke trade, Kevin Goldstein from Baseball Prospectus calls Kansas City's farm system the best that he's ever seen (Twitter link).
  • MASN.com's Ben Goessling says the Nats are lucky they didn't get Greinke. He speculates, based on what the Brewers paid, that the Nats would have had to include Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond, Michael Burgess, and possibly Drew Storen in a deal, and that such a trade would've created more holes for Washington than Greinke could've filled.
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