Phillies to bring back Jim Thome

Jim Thome to going back to his old stomping grounds.
The Phillies have agreed to a 1 yr contract with the
slugger, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Jim Salisbury
of CSNPhilly.com says the deal is worth $1.25MM. The
contract is still pending a physical, which will take place
on Saturday.

Thome, 41, let reporters know that he planned to play
next season a few weeks ago. He hit .256/.361/.477
with 15 homers in 324 plate appearances for the Twins
and Indians last season, though he did not play the field
except for one nostalgic pitch spent at 3B. Philly could be
without Ryan Howard for an extended period of time in
2012 because of a ruptured Achillies, but Thome has
not played 1B regularly since 2005, his last stint with
Philadelphia.

If unable to play the field, Thome would still give the
team a powerful left-handed bat off the bench and DH
option during interleague play. His leadership and clubhouse
skills are highly regarded as well. Thome hit .260/.386/.543
with the Phillies from 2003-2006, swatting 96 of his 605
career home runs for the Fightin's.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Royals & Braves talk shop for P Jair Jurrens, talks Stalled

The Braves are open to moving P Jair Jurrjens and
INF/OF Martin Prado, and that they've already had
trade talks with the Royals. Bob Dutton of The Kansas
City Star reports that talks have stalled however, likely
because KC does not want to include top prospect Wil
Myers in the deal.

Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal Constitution says
that Atlanta is not actively shopping Jurrjens and Prado,
but they will listen to offers for any player on their roster
without 10 and 5 no-trade protection. Dutton says the
Braves offered the Royals a 2-for-2 deal: Jurrjens and
Prado for Myers and Lorenzo Cain.

Kansas City is open to moving Cain, he added. That
deal would add close to $10MM to the Royals' payroll
next season, eating up a big chunk of what they have
available to spend this offseason according to Dutton.

The Braves are trying to unload some salary, which they
managed to do earlier in the week by trading Derek Lowe
to the Indians.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Phillies in hot pursuit of Twins free agent Michael Cuddyer

Philly agreed to bring Jim Thome back earlier today, and
now they're after another player that wore a Twins' uniform
in 2011. Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports that the
Phillies are in serious pursuit of Michael Cuddyer, and his
friendship with Thome could work in Philly's favor.

Cuddyer, 33 in March, would help the Phillies in a number
of ways. As a right-handed bat, he'd balance out their left
handed heavy lineup. His versatility would also allow him
to fill in at 1B while Ryan Howard is recovering from his
ruptured Achillies, platoon with Domonic Brown in the
OF, and even spell Placido Polanco at the hot corner
on occasion.

A career .272/.343/.451 hitter, Cuddyer pounded lefties
to the tune of .311/.403/.589 in 2011. He's a Type-A free
agent and the Twins will certainly offer him arbitration,
so the Phillies would have to surrender their 1st round
pick to Minnesota if an agreement is reached.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Nationals interested in P Roy Oswalt

The Washington Nationals reportedly have interest
in signing free-agent starter Roy Oswalt, according
to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

Last winter the Nats made a strong charge for a
top-of-the-rotation starter. The team was reportedly
in the mix to sign then free-agent Cliff Lee until the
very end, and also had a trade in place to acquire
starter Zack Greinke from the Royals before the
righty nixed the deal. Oswalt could potentially fill
such a role in 2012 for a rotation that should, for
the 1st time, feature a healthy Stephen Strasburg,
Jordan Zimmermann, and Chien-Ming Wang.

Oswalt, 34, had his option declined by the Phillies last
week making him a free-agent. As a result, the 3 time
All-Star received a $2 million buyout instead of $16 million
in salary over the course of 2012.

In 23 games started for Philly last season, Oswalt
posted a 9-10 record with a 3.69 ERA and 93 strikeouts
in 139 innings pitched. For his career, Oswalt has posted
a 159-93 record with a stellar 3.21 ERA in 11 seasons with
the Houston Astros and the Phillies.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Source : Orioles close to naming new GM

The Baltimore Orioles are close to officially naming
Dan Duquette as their next general manager,
2 sources confirmed Saturday.

Former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette said he'd return one
day ... and now it seems he will, with AL East rival O's.

Duquette, formerly a GM for the Montreal Expos and
Boston Red Sox, interviewed in Baltimore Friday and
was traveling to Baltimore Saturday to finalize a
contract.

The Orioles had offered the GM job to Blue Jays assistant
GM Tony LaCava, but he turned it down. LaCava was the
only person offered the job before Duquette.

Jerry Dipoto interviewed, but he took the GM job
with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Orioles also interviewed De Jon Watson, assistant
GM of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Scott Proefrock,
assistant GM with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Duquette helped build the Expos into the best team in
the NL in 1994, but that season ended in August with
a players' strike. He later became the GM of the Red
Sox, and was the GM that made the deal to bring Pedro
Martinez to Boston.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

That surprised me. I figured he would sign with an AL team where he could DH. After reading the article, though, it makes sense. He can fill in at first and having a lefty bat off the bench is a big bonus.

_________________
http://www.goredforwomen.org/

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. - Herm Albright

The trouble with quotes from the internet is that you never know if they're real or not. - Gandhi

Royals acquire P Jonathan Sanchez from Giants for OF Melky Cabrera

The Royals acquired lefty Jonathan Sanchez and minor
league starter Ryan Verdugo from the Giants for OF Melky
Cabrera, announced the team.

Sanchez, 28, may have been a non-tender candidate for
the Giants after a disappointing 2011 season that saw
him walk 5.9 per 9 innings and miss significant time with
biceps tendinitis and a sprained ankle.

Sanchez projects to earn $5.2MM in 2012, after which he'll
be eligible for free agency. That he was traded for 1 year
of Cabrera shows how much his trade value slipped during
the '11 season. Sanchez was set to battle Barry Zito for the
Giants' 5th starter job next year.

Cabrera had the opposite experience in 2011, as he had
a resurgence after being non-tendered and signing a
$1.25MM free agent deal. The 27-year-old hit .305/.339/.470
with 18 home runs in 706 plate appearances for the Royals,
playing mostly CF. UZR suggests he is a below-average defender
there, though there seems a good chance the Giants continue to
use him in CF.

Cabrera is projected to earn $4.4MM in 2012, after which
he'll be eligible for free agency. With the deal, the Royals
opened up CF for prospect Lorenzo Cain.

Verdugo, a 24-year-old Double-A southpaw, went to KC along
with Sanchez in the deal. Baseball America ranked him 25th
among Giants prospects prior to the season, describing him as
a deceptive lefty who misses bats but has minus command.
Verdugo was a starter in college and returned to that role
last year.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Marlins lookin' into Fielder & Pujols

South Florida's MLB team may have changed beyond
recognition by the time the 2012 season begins and
it has nothing to do with what they'll be wearing. As
they prepare to move into a new stadium, the soon to
be Miami Marlins are targeting baseball's top free agents.
They've contacted Jose Reyes and, according to ESPN.com's
Jerry Crasnick, 1B Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols are also
on their radar.

However, it's not as simple as out-bidding the competition.
The Marlins already have Gaby Sanchez stationed at 1B and
they'd like to move Logan Morrison out of LF, according to
Crasnick. Plus, they're hoping to add left-handed starting
pitching this offseason, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points
out. Jon Heyman of SI.com reported earlier today that Marlins
manager Ozzie Guillen is pushing for Fielder or Pujols.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Royals show interest in Cubs P Zambrano

The Royals have interest in Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano,
Mark Carman at 610 Sports Radio learned from talking with
GM Dayton Moore yesterday (CSNChicago.com's David Kaplan
has Moore's quotes). Moore's comments on Zambrano:

''We would have to be interested. We would have to explore
it because that's what you should do. You should explore every
opportunity. Carlos Zambrano is a heckuva competitor. Carlos
Zambrano has had a lot of success in the major leagues. Carlos
Zambrano is actually a very pleasant, easy going, classy person
off the field. Sometimes, as with all of us the competitiveness
takes over and brings out qualities in us that we are not proud
of. Obviously the Cubs grew tired of some of his outbursts but
I believe in our coaching staff and we'll always take a chance
and a risk on certain players. We'll see how that particular
situation unfolds.

Zambrano is owed $18MM in 2012, and has a $19.25MM
option that vests for 2013 if he finishes in the top 4 of
the 2012 Cy Young vote. The option seems highly unlikely
to vest, but if Zambrano is somehow that good in 2012,
perhaps his team wouldn't mind another year. Moore's
comments on Z's contract:

"He has a no-trade clause for 29 other teams so he is going
to have to be comfortable wherever he goes and there is a
lot of money attached to his deal. There is a vesting option
that is a part of that worth $18 or 19 million going forward.
We certainly wouldn't want to put ourselves in a position
where we have to honor a contract of that nature."

The Cubs expect to address the Zambrano situation this
week, writes ESPN's Buster Olney.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Rangers, Yankees, and Red Sox interested in free agent P Mark Buehrle

The Yankees, Red Sox, and Rangers are showing
interest in free agent lefty Mark Buehrle, report
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

The Marlins are meeting with Buehrle, 32, who
posted a 3.59 ERA, 4.8 K/9, 2.0 BB/9, 0.92 HR/9,
and 44.9% groundball rate in 205 1/3 innings in
2011. The long time White Sox starter has pitched
200+ innings in every season since 2001.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

D-backs ink free agent P Jakubauskas

The Diamondbacks signed righty Chris Jakubauskas to a
minor league deal. Earlier today, the 32-year-old himself
hinted at the agreement on his Twitter account.

In 72 1/3 innings this past season, Jakubauskas posted
a 5.72 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 43% ground ball
rate for the Orioles. He has a career ERA of 5.58 with 5.4 K/9,
3.0 BB/9 and a 43.9% ground ball rate in parts of 3 seasons for
the Orioles, Pirates and Mariners. Baltimore outrighted Jakubauskas
off of it's 40-man roster in October and he elected free agency.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Free agent INF Jamey Carroll close to deal with an unknown Team

Jamey Carroll is nearing a multiyear deal with an unknown
team, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The Tigers,
Rockies, Dodgers and Indians have been mentioned as
potential suitors for Carroll, a Millenium Sports Management
client who is expected to sign within a few days. The Phillies
and Braves have also expressed interest.

The 37-year-old INF played SS and 2B for the Dodgers in 2011,
posting a .290/.359/.347 line in 510 plate appearances. He hasn't
posted an on-base percentage below .355 in any of the past 4
seasons and he has a career mark of .356 after a decade in the
Major Leagues. Carroll, who also has experience at 3B and in the
OF, stole 10 bases without getting caught this past season. He
is not a ranked free agent and won't cost his new team a draft
pick.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Rangers rule out Fielder & Pujols

Rangers president & CEO Nolan Ryan expressed confidence in
1B Mitch Moreland and cast doubt on the notion that the
Rangers will pursue Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols, according
to Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“Making a 7 or 8 year deal for Fielder or Pujols is not
something our organization is prepared to do,” Ryan said.
“I very much expect Mitch Moreland to be our 1B next year.”

Some MLB executives say the Rangers would be a fit for
Fielder, but the Rangers have made it clear that they’re
prioritizing pitching this offseason. The division rival
Angels haven’t ruled out pursuing Fielder or Pujols, new
Halos GM Jerry Dipoto said this week.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Phillies have ''serious'' interest in BoSox closer Papelbon

Philly is showing "serious" interest in Jonathan Papelbon,
according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Phillies appeared
to have a deal with Ryan Madson earlier this week, but talks
aren't going anywhere at the moment. Yesterday GM Ruben
Amaro Jr. told Stark that rumors of an agreement on a 4 yr,
$44MM deal were "unequivocally false."

It has become "increasingly clear" that Papelbon's price might
not be much higher than what Scott Boras is seeking for Madson,
Stark writes. The team has been debating the merits of keeping
Madson versus signing Papelbon for quite some time. Stark adds
that the Blue Jays and Marlins have also shown strong interest
in signing the long-time Red Sox closer. The Phillies have had
"extensive negotiations" with Papelbon's agents and though
the talks have slowed down at times, Philly's interest
hasn't waned.

Papelbon, 30, posted a 2.94 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and
1.4 BB/9 in 64 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2011,
saving 31 games. Like Madson, he's a Type A free
agent who would cost a top pick in 2012. If the
Phillies sign Papelbon and lose Madson to another
team after offering him arbitration, they'd lose 1
pick and gain 2.

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away

Phillies to sign closer Jonathan Papelbon

The Phillies have agreed to sign Jonathan Papelbon,
according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The agreement
is pending a physical.

The deal is a 4 year, $50MM deal that includes a vesting
option for 2016, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network
Radio on Sirius XM.

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears the deal includes a
vesting option that could bring the total value of the
contract over $60MM.

Papelbon, 30, posted a 2.94 ERA with 12.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9
in 64 1/3 innings for the Red Sox in 2011, saving 31 games.
He's a Type A free agent who will cost the Philly their 1st round
draft pick in 2012.

Boston will obtain the 31st overall pick in next June's draft unless
the Phillies sign an additional Type A free agent with a higher
ranking than Papelbon.


Looks like Beth is losing her closer

_________________
Sailin' on a BW midnight boat, their were no questions asked.
Waters so green and the air was so clean Matt stuck right to
his task.

Oh I'm just dreamin'... my life Away