AROUND THE MLB Thread

fortunately someone already signed izzy to a minor league deal

 

Phillies Sign Bobby Abreu​

By Jeff Todd [January 21 at 2:09pm CST]​

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The Phillies have signed outfielder Bobby Abreu, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Abreu will return to Philadelphia on a minor league contract, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick tweets, with Heyman adding that he would earn $800K if he breaks camp with the club.​

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Abreu, who will turn 40 before the start of the year, did not play in the bigs last year. He has 17 MLB seasons under his belt, including nine with the Phils. In 2012, Abreu posted a .246/.361/.344 line in 257 plate appearances, most of them coming with the Dodgers. His last full season came in 2011. Fading power and declining defense left him at a replacement level in that campaign, though Abreunever lost his ability to reach base.​

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So, why the interest from Philadelphia? Abreu has been tearing up the Venezuelan Winter League with a .322/.416/.461 triple-slash in 180 regular season plate appearances. And as impressive as Abreu was during the winter league's regular season, his postseason stats were even more eye-opening. Abreu slashed .464/.549/1.214 (with eight home runs) in 56 playoff at-bats, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.​

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As CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury reported earlier, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had heard "decent reports on [Abreu]" coming out of Venezuela, leading to the club's interest. According to Amaro, the club was "looking at all the left-handed bats still out there and he's one of them." It remains to be seen, of course, whether the Phils will nevertheless look to add another left-handed bench option in addition to Abreu.​

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The Phillies apparently had competition in landing Abreu. As Crasnick reports, the Mets and Indians were both interested in the veteran's services, as was a Japanese club.​

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lol scrubs
hope he cries on the mound for you ckunt bkitches too

Cubs To Sign James McDonald​

By Jeff Todd [January 31, 2014 at 3:08pm CST]​

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The Cubs have agreed to a minor league deal with pitcher James McDonald that includes an invitation to Spring Training, reports Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com (via Twitter). The 29-year-old hit the open market in September when he refused an outright assignment from the Pirates.​

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McDonald was off to an excellent start in 2012, but struggled mightily down the stretch. Things never came together for him last year, as he only got six starts and ended up with a 5.76 ERA in 29 2/3 MLB innings. Control was a particular issue, as McDonald ended up with 6.1 BB/9. In 33 Triple-A innings in 2013, McDonald scuffled to a 6.55 ERA.​

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perfect fit
i hate torrealba, i hate the anals
fucken homos
paraphrasizing tb, go get aids and die :asstomouth:

Angels To Sign Yorvit Torrealba​

By Steve Adams [January 31, 2014 at 6:29pm CST]​

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The Angels and veteran catcher Yorvit Torrealba have agreed to terms on a minor league contract, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The 35-year-old Torrealba is a client of MDR Sports Management.​

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Torrealba spent 2013 as the Rockies' primary backup to Wilin Rosario and posted a .240/.295/.285 batting line in 196 plate appearances along the way. He gunned down 29 percent of attempted base stealers, which is right in line with his career mark of 30 percent. A career .256/.315/.379 batter, Torrealba will provide the Halos with some veteran depth behind primary catchers Chris Iannetta and Hank Conger.​

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cruz and cano would be pretty formidable in the heart of the order
but, it could also very easily blow up in the m's faces
just sayin'...

Mariners In Talks With Cruz, Willing To Offer Multiple Years​

By Steve Adams [February 4 at 9:35am CST]​

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Talks between the Mariners and Nelson Cruz have gotten more serious in the past few days, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Seattle is believed to be open to offering a two-year deal and could possibly stretch to include an option or even a third guaranteed year, according to Heyman's report. Reports late last week indicated that the Mariners were preparing to make an offer to Cruz and agent Adam Katz of the Wasserman Media Group.​

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Seattle has the sixth overall selection in the 2014 draft, meaning its first-round pick is protected under Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement. The Mariners have also already forfeited their second round pick in signing Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240MM contract, meaning they'd "only" be looking at forfeiting their Competitive Balance round pick. Seattle won the final pick of Competitive Balance Round B in last summer's Competitive Balance lottery.​

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The Mariners have been reported as one of Cruz's primary suitors all offseason, though he's been connected to the Orioles heavily at times as well. Recent reports have suggested that he could be a fallback option for the Rangers on a one-year deal or that the Twins could show interest if his price dropped to the point where he fell into their laps (i.e. less than $10MM annually at a maximum of two years).​

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braves would be wise to lock this kid up imo...

Braves, Freddie Freeman Close To Extension​

By Steve Adams [February 4 at 11:49am CST]​

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The Braves are close to announcing an extension for Freddie Freeman, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Freeman, like teammate Jason Heyward (who reached a two-year contract agreement earlier today), is represented by Excel Sports Management.​

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The 24-year-old Freeman is coming off a breakout season in which he finished fifth in the National League MVP voting and earned his first All-Star nod. Freeman slashed .319/.396/.501 with 23 homers for the NL East Division champs in 2013. He and the Braves faced a fairly wide gap after exchanging arbitration figures last month, as Freeman filed for a $5.75MM salary and the Braves countered at $4.5MM.​

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Though the Braves are a "file and trial" team, GM Frank Wren reminded after Heyward's new contract that said policy is only in reference to one-year deals. That line of thinking is common among file and trial clubs, as they are unwilling to continue negotiating one-year pacts after exchanging figures but will typically remain amenable to extensions leading up to an arbitration hearing.​

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It's unclear at this time if the Braves are looking at simply buying out Freeman's arbitration years, as they did with Heyward, or if they're pursuing a long-term deal that will buy out free agent seasons as well. This is Freeman's first time through arbitration, and he is currently under team control through the 2016 season.​

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^and they have

Braves Extend Freddie Freeman​

By Steve Adams [February 4 at 6:47pm CST]​

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6:46pm: Freeman will earn $135MM over eight years, reports Peter Gammons (via Twitter). The club announced the eight-year deal but did not confirm financial details.​

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i still see buckner climbing the wall after it