That was so great

_________________
Follow me on Twitter! @joshdmartin

Orioles to acquire C Taylor Teagarden from Rangers

The O's and Rangers have agreed to a trade that will
send Taylor Teagarden to Baltimore for minor league
righty Randy Henry and a player to be named later.
The Orioles have a full 40-man roster and will have
to clear room on it for Teagarden.

Teagarden, 27, has a .220/.286/.417 career line with 16
home runs in 392 career big league plate appearances
over the course of four seasons. The 2005 third rounder
has a .262/.374/.488 line in parts of six minor league
seasons. He'll back up starter Matt Wieters.

Henry, 21, has a 3.33 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in
75 2/3 minor league innings since the Orioles selected
him in the 4th round of the 2009 draft. He has yet to
reach Double-A.

While the Orioles had just one catcher -- Wieters -- on
their 40-man roster, the Rangers had 3 of them. Mike
Napoli and Yorvit Torrealba were ahead of Teagarden on
Texas' depth chart, which made the out-of-options backstop
expendable.

_________________
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

Sounds like he'll fit in just fine here!

_________________
Please come to Boston in the Springtime.....

Marlins agree to terms with P Heath Bell

The Marlins have agreed to terms with free agent
closer Heath Bell, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark. T
he deal is worth $27MM over 3 yrs and it contains
a vesting option for a fourth year worth $9MM.
The contract is pending Bell passing a physical,
which he will take in Florida.

Bell, 34, has been one of the top closers in baseball
over the last 3 seasons, taking over from Trevor Hoffman
as the Padres' stopper and recording a 2.36 ERA with 132
saves and 216 strikeouts in 202 1/3 innings.

_________________
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

Pirates closer to deals with 2 free agents

The Pirates are moving closer to deals with Wilson Betemit
and former Pirate Nate McLouth, tweets Rob Biertempfel of
the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

We heard yesterday about Pittsburgh's interest in a reunion
with McLouth, who hit .228/.344/.333 in 321 appearances with
the Braves this season. Betemit, meanwhile, did not receive
an arbitration offer from the Tigers and hit the free agent
market coming off a season in which he posted a .795 OPS
in 359 plate appearances in Detroit and Kansas City.

_________________
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 & A's make a Swap

The D-backs have acquired P Trevor Cahill and P Craig Breslow
from the Athletics for minor leaguers Jarrod Parker, Collin Cowgill
and Ryan Cook, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco
Chronicle and Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Arizona will also receive
cash from Oakland, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

The centerpiece of the trade for Arizona is Cahill, a righty starter
who has logged more than 175 innings in each of his 3 seasons
as a Major Leaguer.

Breslow, a lefty reliever, posted a career 3.80 FIP, and with
no significant lefty/righty splits, Towers said Breslow will likely
be used as a swing lefty out of Kirk Gibson's bullpen in 2012.
He is eligible for free agency after 2013.

In Parker, Cowgill and Cook, the A's get three prospects
who all have far less than a full season of service time..

_________________
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

Cubs acquire 3B Ian Stewart from Rockies

The Cubbies have acquired 3B Ian Stewart and P Casey
Weathers from the Rox for OF Tyler Colvin and INF D.J.
LeMahieu.

Each team acquires a 26-year-old former 1st round pick
coming off a disappointing season. Stewart, a non-tender
candidate, has long been the subject of trade rumors and
hit .156/.243/.221 in limited action in 2011. Colvin, who
isn't yet arbitration eligible, hit .150/.204/.306 in 222
plate appearances.

LeMahieu, 23, has a career .753 OPS in the minors and
saw his 1st big league action for the Cubs in 2011.
He'll compete for time at 2B and 3B. Weathers, 26,
was also a 1st-round pick, but has yet to pitch above
Double-A, where he posted a 5.32 ERA in 45 2/3 innings
this year. The right-hander has excellent stuff
(career 11.3 K/9), but hasn't been able to control it
(7.1 BB/9).

_________________
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

Brewers to sign 3B Aramis Ramirez

Aramis Ramirez will sign a 3 year contract with the Brewers,
reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago. Ken Rosenthal of FOX
Sports expects the contract to be in the $34-37MM range.
With 1B Prince Fielder expected to leave via free agency
and MVP Ryan Braun facing a potential 50-game suspension
for a banned substance, the Brewers were motivated to add
a middle-of-the-order bat.

Ramirez, 33, bounced back to hit .306/.361/.510 with 26 home
runs in 626 plate appearances for the Cubs in 2011. Former
Cubs GM Jim Hendry stole Ramirez from the Pirates in a 2003
trade, and the right-handed slugger solidified the position for
Chicago by hitting .294/.356/.531 with 239 home runs over
8 plus seasons. His defense is below-average, based on UZR.
The Cubs will receive a supplemental draft pick for their loss.

The Brewers had a need at the hot corner after Casey McGehee
disappointed in 2011. The arbitration-eligible McGehee could
still be used at 1B if the Brewers decide not to non-tender him
tonight or trade him this winter.

Though details of Ramirez's contract are not yet known,
it's a safe assumption he received more than $10MM a 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

Blue Jays acquire OF Ben Francisco from Phillies

The Blue Jays acquired OF Ben Francisco from Philly for
minor league lefty Frank Gailey, announced the team.

Francisco, 30, hit .244/.340/.364 in 293 plate appearances
for the Phillies this year. As a right-handed hitter he's
gotten a disproportionate share of at-bats against lefties
in his career, but he hasn't done markedly better against
them. Francisco is set to earn an estimated $1.5MM through
arbitration in 2012, and perhaps the Phillies would have cut
him loose had they not found a trade partner. He'll be under
team control for 2013 as well if the Blue Jays want him.
With Francisco filling the role of Toronto's 4th OF,
Rajai Davis may be expendable.

Gailey, 26, posted a 3.41 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and
0.6 HR/9 in 74 relief innings across High and Double-A
this year. A Philadelphia native, Gailey must be excited
about the deal.

_________________
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

Twins agree to sign OF Josh Willingham

The Twins have agreed to sign Josh Willingham,
reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The multi-year
contract is pending a physical.This deal almost
certainly takes the Twins out of the running for
Michael Cuddyer.

Willingham, 33 in February, is a modified Type-A free agent
under the new collective bargaining agreement. The Twins
will not have to surrender a draft pick to sign him, but the
Athletics will still receive 2 picks as compensation for the
loss. One will be a supplemental 1st round pick, the other
a pick one spot ahead of Minnesota's 2nd rounder since their
1st rounder is protected.

The Twins hit an AL worst 103 home runs in 2011, so
Willingham provides some much needed pop. He hit a
career-best 29 homers for Oakland this past season,
and has cleared the 20 homer plateau four times in
the last six years. He's also shown a knack for drawing
walks and getting hit by pitches, leading to a solid .361
career OBP despite a .262 batting average. The Twins
figure to use him in LF, where UZR has consistently said
he's below average defensively.

_________________
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

Rockies sign Michael Cuddyer

Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd continued a busy offseason today
by making his biggest move yet. The Rox have agreed to
sign Michael Cuddyer to a 3 yr, $31.5MM deal.

Cuddyer, 32, hit 20 homers and posted a .284/.346/.459
line in 584 plate appearances for the Twins this past season.
After 11 seasons in Minnesota, he has a career line of
.272/.343/.451.

Cuddyer spent considerable time at 3 positions in 2011:
RF, 1B and 2B. He has also played 3B and LF at the
Major League level, so Rox manager Jim Tracy will have
lots of places to pencil his new player into the lineup.

_________________
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 re-sign SS Jimmy Rollins

The Phillies have agreed to sign Jimmy Rollins to
a 3 yr deal with a vesting 4th year option,
tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. Yahoo's Tim Brown
confirms that Rollins' deal is worth $33MM with an
easily-attainable 4th year vesting option for an
additional $11MM.

Rollins, a lifelong Phillie, has seen his production tail off
since his 30-30 MVP season, but he rebounded to bat
.268/.338/.399 last season with 16 homers and 30 stolen
bases. His defense has remained a positive even through
his age-32 season, according to UZR.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reds acquire P Latos from Padres

The Reds acquired P Mat Latos from the Padres for
Yonder Alonso, P Edinson Volquez, Yasmani Grandal,
and Brad Boxberger.

Latos turned 24 just over a week ago, but already
has more than 2 full seasons under his belt. From
2010-11, the right-hander accumulated a 3.21 ERA,
8.9 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and a 43.7% groundball rate.
Both FIP (3.09) and SIERA (3.33) like Latos quite a
bit, and he's not arbitration eligible until after the
2012 season. The promising young hurler will pair
with Johnny Cueto atop the Reds' rotation.

_________________
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 to sign OF Jason Kubel

The D-backs have signed OF Jason Kubel, tweets Tom Krasovic.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports confirms the agreement, which is
for 2 yrs with an option. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports says the
deal is worth $15MM.

Kubel, 29, will play LF for the D-backs according to Rosenthal.
The surprising acquisition likely pushes current Arizona OF Gerardo
Parra to a 4th OF role, meaning Arizona is sacrificing defense and
hoping for more offense. Perhaps Parra, a 2011 Gold Glove winner,
will become a trade target for other clubs. Kubel hit .273/.332/.434
in 401 plate appearances for the Twins this year, missing nearly 2
months with a left foot sprain.

Kubel spent his entire career with the Twins after being drafted
in the 12th round in 2000. His best season came in 2009, when
he hit .300/.369/.539 with 28 home runs.

_________________
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 bring back INF Yuniesky Betancourt

The Royals have signed UT INF Yuniesky Betancourt
to a 1 yr contract, the club announced on Tuesday.

"We have been looking for a utility infielder who could
play SS, 3B and 2B and we feel Yuni is a great fit," Royals
GM Dayton Moore said in a statement. "He brings a righty
bat with some power and is a guy we know fits in well in
the clubhouse."

Betancourt, 29, hit .252 with 27 doubles, 13 homers and
68 RBIs as the Brewers' starting SS last season. He hit .310
with 6 RBIs in 11 postseason games.

He has had 7 big league seasons with the Mariners (2005-09),
the Royals (2009-10) and Brewers (2011).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rockies to sign 3B Casey Blake

The Rox have agreed to sign Casey Blake to a 1 yr deal,
pending a physical, Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd announced.
The sides agreed to a non-guaranteed contract worth
$2MM plus $1MM in performance bonuses, according to
MLB.com's Thomas Harding.

Blake hit .252/.342/.371 in 239 plate appearances
for the Dodgers in 2011, spending considerable time
on the DL with a cervical strain. He had surgery in
September and the Dodgers declined his $6MM option
for 2012 after the season. The Indians were among 9
teams with some interest in Blake, who should be ready
to play in 2012.

The move provides the Rockies with depth at 3B.

_________________
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

Brewers sign INF Cesar Izturis

The Brews have signed Cesar Izturis to a minor league
contract, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

Izturis spent the last 3 seasons in Baltimore, hitting
.240/.283/.292 in 958 plate appearances for the O's.
Although the 31-year-old didn't provide much pop at
the plate, his defense continues to be rated favorably
by advanced metrics -- Fangraphs puts his career UZR/150
at +7.6 or better at SS, 3B, and 2B. If he makes the Brewers'
big league club, Izturis figures to provide depth behind Rickie
Weeks, Alex Gonzalez, and Aramis Ramirez.

_________________
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