Rockies Sign Miguel Batista

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The Rockies have signed Miguel Batista to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes (on Twitter). The Martin Arburua client will compete for a middle relief spot according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter).

Batista, 41, posted a 4.61 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 5.6 BB/9 in 52 2/3 innings for the Mets and Braves last season. He managed a 3.66 ERA in 142 2/3 innings from 2010-2011 and has served primarily as a swingman since 2008. Batista pitched for 11 different teams during his 18-year big league career.

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Quick Hits: Wilson, Giants, Upton, Hill, Red Sox

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Condolences go out to the family and friends of Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who passed away this afternoon according to the Cardinals. He was 92. Stan the Man was a .331/.417/.559 career hitter who slugged 475 homers and was thrice named league MVP during his 22 seasons with St. Louis.

Here's the latest from around the league as Saturday turns into Sunday...

• 'I'm going to be brutally honest as I always am, I don't [think Brian Wilson will return],' said Giants GM Brian Sabean to Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of The New York Post. Sabean acknowledged talking to Wilson's agent about a low-base salary, incentive-laden contract prior to non-tendering him.
• Some teams interested in acquiring Justin Upton have been struggling to get a response from the Diamondbacks according to ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). There's plenty of interest, but offers haven't been easy to make.
• Rich Hill told reporters (including Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal and Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald) that he is confident he'll find a big league contract on the open market (Twitter links). The lefty reliever has not talked about returning to the Red Sox on a minor league deal.
• Larry Stone of The Seattle Times took an updated look at the Mariners' payroll, which currently sits just north of $78MM according to his calculations.

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Wainwright Will Not Set Deadline For Extension Talks

« White Sox Agree To Sign Matt Lindstrom | Main | Rockies Sign Miguel Batista »

Two years ago the Cardinals faced a Spring Training deadline during extension talks with Albert Pujols, but they won't face a similar deadline with their latest impending star free agent. Both GM John Mozeliak and Adam Wainwright confirmed a hard deadline will not be set for contract talks, report Joe Strauss of St. Louis Post-Dispatch and MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (Twitter links).

Wainwright, 31, told B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com (Twitter links) that the two sides engaged in contract talks last season and he was comfortable with the figures being discussed, saying he "liked where it was headed." The veteran right-hander pitched to a 3.94 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 198 2/3 innings last season after missing all of 2011 due to Tommy John surgery.

Wainwright will earn $12MM next season and is scheduled to become a free agent after the season. He is represented by Aegis Sports Management. The four-year, $68MM extension Josh Beckett signed with the Red Sox early in the 2010 season could serve as a reference point in talks.

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Twins Notes: Podsednik, Sweeney, Parra, Bartlett

« File And Trial Teams Take Tough Stance | Main | Cubs, Diamondbacks Discussed Justin Upton »

Despite indications to the contrary, the Twins never called to inquire about the availability of pitcher Anibal Sanchez, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500.  Sanchez, of course, re-signed with the Tigers for five years and $80MM earlier this offseason.  Here's more out of Minnesota, courtesy of Wolfson..

• The Twins still have interest in free agent outfielder Scott Podsednik, but they're not looking to sign free agent outfielder Ryan Sweeney.  We recently learned that the Mets aren't among the teams in on Podsednik.  The club had brief talks with Sweeney's representatives earlier in the winter.
• Minnesota had interest in signing free agent starter Freddy Garcia in December but they haven't checked in on him since.  The Twins have also cut off contact with free agent pitcher Manny Parra.  The Twins, along with the Reds and Rockies, were said to be interested in Garcia late last year.
• The Twins have not inquired about free agent shortstop Jason Bartlett, nor free agent second baseman Kelly Johnson.
• The Twins never made an offer to shortstop Cesar Izturis, who signed a minor league deal with the Reds on Wednesday.  General Manager Terry Ryan & Co. never had an interest in free agent starter Aaron Cook before he signed with the Phillies either.  
• Minnesota could have free agent starter Armando Galarraga on a minor league deal but aren't interested in him.  The right-hander hooked on with the Astros on a minor league contract last year after being cut by the Orioles.

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Cubs, Diamondbacks Discussed Justin Upton

« Twins Notes: Podsednik, Sweeney, Parra, Bartlett | Main | Quick Hits: Soriano, Cubs, Wieters, Blue Jays »

The Cubs and the Diamondbacks recently discussed the feasibility of a trade involving right fielder Justin Upton, two major league sources told Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.  According to both sources, the Diamondbacks asked for two-time All-Star Starlin Castro in return for Upton and were rebuffed.  Theo Epstein & Co. decided that the asking price was too high and cut off talks.

Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has an obvious surplus of talent in the outfield but he has made it clear that he wants quality in return for Upton, Jason Kubel, or anyone else.  Meanwhile, the asking price for Upton may not be the only hurdle to overcome in a deal involving the Cubs.  The Cubs are on the 25-year-old's no-trade list, along with the Blue Jays, Red Sox, and Mariners.  Upton invoked his limited no trade privileges in order to block a deal to Seattle earlier this winter.

Upton has three years remaining on his deal and is owed $38MM over that span.  Despite the lofty price tag that Towers has put on Upton, the club is still reportedly intent on moving him.

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Quick Hits: Soriano, Cubs, Wieters, Blue Jays

« Cubs, Diamondbacks Discussed Justin Upton | Main

Alfonso Soriano has been on the pages of MLBTR quite a bit over the last year, but if the outfielder has anything to say about it, he'll remain with the Cubs.  "I want to stay here and finish my career here and try to win before I retire," Soriano said, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. "I signed here to bring a World Series winner to Chicago. It's been a long time since they won a World Series. That's my dream. I hope to stay here, and when they win, I want to be part of that team."  Here's more from around baseball..

• Orioles catcher Matt Wieters wasn't too sure that he would reach agreement with the club on a new deal before today's deadline, but he's relieved that they did, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  Wieters and the O's came to terms on a one-year, $5.5MM pact to avoid arbitration.
• Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports examined the six worst teams in the American League in 2012 and looked at what steps they've taken to improve in the New Year.  The Blue Jays have obviously done a great deal to reverse their fortunes, but Morosi does have some concern about how the stars will mesh with one another.
• Alex Speier of WEEI.com broke down the Red Sox's payroll committments over the next three years to see how much breathing room they presently have.
• The Dodgers are leaning towards moving their television broadcasts over to Time Warner Cable starting in 2014, people familiar with the matter tell Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  The Dodgers' lucrative television potential fueled their record-breaking sale and historic spending in 2012.

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Players Avoiding Arbitration: Friday

« Indians, Stubbs Avoid Arbitration | Main | Blue Jays Notes: Reyes, Lyon, Happ »

Dozens of players will agree to terms with their respective teams today and avoid arbitration. We'll have detailed posts on the top earners around MLB, and we'll track more modest agreements -- those worth less than $4MM -- right here. MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker will have all of the details.

Teams have until 12pm CDT today to exchange filing numbers with their arbitration eligible players. Generally speaking the deadline creates lots of discussion and leads to early deals. Plus, for 'file and trial' teams this marks the final chance for negotiations in advance of a hearing. Here are the latest agreements from around MLB...

• The Indians avoided arbitration with Lou Marson, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports (Twitter links). The catcher will earn $1MM on a one-year deal in 2013.

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