Greene Traded To Cardinals

According to the New York Post, the Cardinals are set to acquire SS Khalil Greene from the Padres in exchange for two relief prospects. The Padres have been frustrated with Greene's performance for the past several seasons and trading him will not only clear up cash, but give them two solid prospects in return. The Cardinals, who miss out on Edgar Renteria, now have a shortstop for 2009 who could potential be trade bait at the deadline if Peter Kozma can prove he is ready. 

As for the Padres, it is believed they have asked for Cubs SS Ronny Cedeno to be included in a deal for Jake Peavy, so he could potentially take over if the deal actually goes through.

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Mariners Fortify Bench, Sign Branyan

The Mariners signed former Brewers utility man Russell Branyan to a one year deal worth 1.4 million dollars, according to FOXSports.com. Branyan hit .250 with 12 HR in 132 at-bats this season, so he will make for a good go-to guy off the bench for the Mariners. The Mariners are also listening to offers about Adrian Beltre and JJ Putz, but nothing is serious just yet. 

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Rosenthal's Latest

Check out the full article here:

• The Mariners are reportedly checking out Adam Dunn and Pat Burrell as possible replacements for Raul Ibanez. Dunn would give the Mariners the big bat they need in the middle of their lineup, but the strikeouts might be a problem. Both Dunn and Burrell were not offered arbitration, making them very desirable to the rebuilding Mariners. 
• The Cardinals may be gearing up for a serious run at free agent pitcher Oliver Perez. The Mets and Oliver Perez have not had too many conversations over the past couple weeks, but there is mutual interest. The Cardinals are also talking with Kerry Wood and Brian Fuentes.
• All the moves the Giants are making could be a precursor to a big push for CC Sabathia, who is from California. While Sabathia has stressed that he just wants to be happy, meaning location isn't the only thing, it would be hard to turn down returning home to a team that doesn't have any spending limits this winter. They could be the Cubs of the 2006-2007 offseason!
• Rosenthal suggests the Braves could pursue Adam Dunn, but I spoke with an industry source who said the Braves are slowly targeting outfield targets. They are preparing a five year offer for A.J. Burnett, and we could see him pull of a fast trade for an outfielder, perhaps Eric Byrnes of the Diamondbacks. Milton Bradley is an option if they go after a free agent. 

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Giants Closing In On Renteria?

According to Jon Heyman, the Giants and Edgar Renteria are closing in on a two year deal. This was reported last week but immediately shot down by both parties. However, I just spoke with the agent of Edgar Renteria and he told me that "they are closing in on an agreement" with an unknown club. Multiple sources are reporting that the Giants are that team, so we can probably expect a deal to be done within the next day or two. Renteria hit .270 with 10 HR in 138 games for the Tigers, and the Giants hope Renteria can return to 2007 form by a switch back to the NL.  

Twins, Dodgers leading for Blake?: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers and Twins are the favorites to land free agent Casey Blake. Blake has not indicated a preference, but the consensus among industry sources is that he will return to the Midwest and play for the Twins. The Twins are younger, have stronger pitching, and will have a new outdoor stadium in 2010, making them a very nice destination for the veteran Blake. We'll see what happens...

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Giants Sign Howry

The Giants have agreed to a one year deal worth 2.75 million dollars with relief pitcher Bob Howry. Howry, who went 7-5 with a 5.35 ERA in 72 appearances for the Cubs, will likely be the Giants' setup man. The Giants are doing what they can to improve their bullpen, mostly because they gave up the third most homeruns in the league in the least amount of innings pitched. They already signed Jeremy Affeldt, and bringing in Howry gives them a lot more options in the later innings. Howry is one of the top late inning relievers in the game, who in eleven major league seasons has a 3.68 ERA. Howry struggled in 2008, but compiled a 2.92 ERA from 2004-2007 in 278 appearances. 

It will be interesting to see if the Giants pursue any more bullpen help. 

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Red Sox Sign Pedroia

The Red Sox and MVP Dustin Pedroia have agreed to a six year deal worth 40 million dollars, Ken Rosenthal is reporting. The deal comes with a club option for 2015, meaning the Red Sox have him locked up through three years up arbitration and possibly three years of free agency. Pedroia hit .326 with 17 HR in 157 games, but lead the league in hits (213), runs (118), and doubles (54). Dustin Pedroia, who lives across the street from Fenway Park, has become a very popular player in Boston. His teammates love him, management loves him, and most opposing team do not have a problem him with.

As the Red Sox get older, he could become the face of the organization and the new wave of talent. 

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Dusty Baker Interested In Wood

According to the Chicago Tribune, Reds manager Dusty Baker has interest in bringing in Kerry Wood to be the Reds setup man. The Cubs decided to pass on offering arbitration to Wood, who has thirty-four saves last season. The Cubs feared that Wood would accept the offer, mostly because of his desire to stay in Chicago. By not offering Wood arbitration, he becomes much more desirable to teams who value their draft picks. The Reds probably do not have much chance of signing Wood, who is reportedly seeking a multi-year deal and a guaranteed closer spot. 

The Rangers, Angels, Mets, and Tigers are reportedly showing interest. 

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Braves Acquire Vazquez

It appears that talks were farther along than originally thought. The Braves have acquired pitcher Javier Vazquez from the White Sox in exchange for at least three prospects. One of those prospects is believed to be infielder Brent Lillibridge, who hit .200 with 1 HR in 29 games for the Braves this past season. As for the pitching prospects, Jo-Jo Reyes is not one of them. I would not be surprised to see Kris Medlen in the deal. Medlen is tearing it up in Fall Ball and had a pretty good season in Double-A. 

For more information, see the previous post.  

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Braves After Vazquez?

According to FOXSports.com, the Braves have engaged in talks with the White Sox about pitcher Javier Vazquez. The White Sox and Braves appear to be on the same page when it comes to the number of prospects the White Sox would receive, so all they need to figure out is who those prospects will be and how much money the White Sox would include. Vazquez, who has two years and twenty-three million dollars left on his contract, went 12-16 with a 4.67 ERA for the White Sox last season. 

If the Braves are going to trade for a pitcher, Javier Vazquez is one of the best, and will probably come at a cheap price. He will probably fair well in the National League and is very durable, so he should give the bullpen solid rest when he starts. No deal is imminent, but talks are promising thus far. 

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Red Sox To Finalize Tazawa Deal Soon

According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox and Junichi Tazawa have agreed to a three year deal worth 3 million dollars. The Globe is reporting that he chose the Red Sox over the Rangers, who reportedly offered more money than the Red Sox. However, the Japanese presence the Red Sox have with Hideki Okajima, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and others in their minor league system made it easy for Tazawa to pick them. 

He is expected to fly into Boston sometime this week to take a physical and officially announce the deal. 

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Dye to Reds?

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Reds and White Sox have held preliminary discussions about Jermaine Dye. Major league sources told the Tribune that Jermaine Dye's salary complicates things, but they have talked about players the Reds would receive in return for Dye, who will make 11.5 million dollars next season with a one million dollars buyout for 2010. In 154 games this season, Dye hit .292 with 34 HR and 96 RBI. 

It is possible the White Sox would go after Edwin Encarnacion, but they will probably target prospects in order to keep their payroll down. Talks probably won't get serious until the Winter Meetings next week. 

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Astros Sign Hampton

According to MLB.com, the Astros and starting pitcher Mike Hampton have agreed to a major-league deal, pending a physical. Hampton, 36, went 3-4 with a 4.85 ERA and 38 K in 13 starts this past season. However, he missed all of 2006 and 2007 and pitched in just 12 games in 2005. The Astros are Hampton's longest tenured team, having pitched with them for six seasons and compiling a 66-40 with a 3.45 ERA. 

This deal could end discussions between the Astros and Randy Wolf, who recently decided to "slow" the negotiations down. We'll see what happens.

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