Rays With a New Member

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran reliever Kyle Farnsworth, multiple media outlets have reported. Farnsworth put up strong numbers in the first half of 2010 while pitching for the Royals, but after a midseason trade sent him to Atlanta, the right-hander struggled to a 5.40 ERA with the Braves. Overall, Farnsworth finished the year with a 3.34 ERA in 64 innings, his highest total since 2006. That number could have enticed the Rays, who have been looking for some stability in their bullpen after losing several reliable relievers to free agency. The deal is reportedly for $3.25 million with an option for 2012 as well.

Murphy Recovered and Back to the Marlins?

A dislocated wrist cost Donnie Murphy the final month of last season. It may not, however, prevent the 27-year-old infielder from breaking camp with the Florida Marlins when Spring Training ends. "The Opening Day roster definitely is something on my mind," said Murphy, who said he is ahead of schedule in his recovery. "It's something I'm shooting for right now. It kept me optimistic throughout the offseason. "It made me work harder, because I want to get back on the roster. I want to help this team out. I felt I did a lot of good things for this team last year. I love the guys on this team. I definitely want to be here." If healthy, Murphy clearly could make an impact. He also could factor into the mix for the Marlins' third-base job, which will be up for grabs when Spring Training begins on February 18th.
Donnie Murphy is one of my favorite Marlins players, and I hope to see him in the starting lineup next season. Hopefully his recovery will continue to be successful and quick so he can start Spring Training with the fish when the time comes.

Former Marlin to Braves

The Atlanta Braves officially announced that they have given Dan Uggla a five-year, $62 million contract extension that could keep the second baseman in Atlanta through the end of the 2015 season.  Uggla, a former Florida Marlin, was excited about the opportunity to play close to his friends and family members who still live in his hometown in Tennessee.

Uggla was in position to exit as one of the more attractive pieces available via the free-agent market next winter. But he immediately made it known that he'd enjoy the opportunity to remain in Atlanta for more than one season. The Braves targeted Uggla to serve as the powerful right-handed bat that they needed in the middle of their lineup. He has hit at least 30 homeruns in each of his past four seasons, and the 154 homeruns he has compiled over the past five seasons are 20 more than the total amount of any other Major League second baseman.

New Addition to Texas: Adrian Beltre

The Texas Rangers' big free-agent purchase of the offseason is close to being completed. Get ready for Adrian Beltre to take over for Michael Young as the Rangers' third baseman. Sources said the deal is not completed, but the two sides have worked out the framework of a six-year, $96 million contract after extensive negotiations between the team and Beltre's agent, Scott Boras, over the past two days. There are still details to be negotiated, and Beltre will have to pass a physical before the deal is officially done. The contract is also expected to have a clause that will allow the Rangers to void the last year of the deal if Beltre fails to reach a certain number of plate appearances. The Rangers negotiated a similar clause in Kevin Millwood's contract five years ago.

More Signings and Contracts...

The New York Yankees have agreed to terms on a contract with free-agent catcher Russell Martin, just this past week. New York beat out Boston and Toronto to obtain Martin, who belonged to the Dodgers this past season. Russell Martin is deemed among the best catchers in the National League from 2007 to 2008, when he was a back-to-back All-Star while compiling a .286 batting average, .380 on-base percentage and 32 homeruns. But after a down year in 2009, when he compiled a .250 batting average, Martin played 97 games in 2010 and then missed the rest of the season with a broken right hip. The Yankees expect Martin to be in the best of shape before the next season starts because they are depending on him, as well as the rest of the team, to perform to the best of their capabilities.

Angels Gain Back Matsui?

The Los Angeles Angels and free agent Hideki Matsui neared completion of a one-year contract on Sunday, sending the all-star back to where he came from. Matsui, a 36-year-old left-handed hitter, would be expected to serve as the club's designated hitter. Although no decision was made at the time, the deal will develop over this weekend and could be finalized as early as today, Monday. Matsui spent last season as the Angels' designated hitter, his first season on the West Coast after seven years with the Yankees. He has 161 home runs and a .290 average in his career. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 World Series, won by New York over Philadelphia.

Minnesota "Renovates"

The Minnesota Twins have said throughout the offseason that one of their goals has been to add speed to their lineup, and the one area where they felt they could do that was in the middle infield. The Twins' desire to go in that direction became clear when it posted the winning bid for exclusive negotiating rights with speedy Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka last month. And the Twins solidified that thought on Thursday when they closed out the Winter Meetings by trading shortstop J.J. Hardy to the Orioles. The deal sent Hardy, infielder Brendan Harris and $500,000 cash to Baltimore in exchange for two right-handed Minor League pitchers, Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey. The trade didn't come as a surprise considering that Hardy's future had been up in the air ever since the Twins had placed the winning bid for Nishioka. In addition to working to bring the speedy, switching-hitting infielder to Minnesota, the Twins had said that they would like to give Alexi Casilla a chance at a starting job in the middle infield. Hopefully, the Twins can prepare their newly renovated team before the start of the next season.