Marlins Sign Javier Vazquez

Vazquez is joining FLA

The Florida Marlins have agreed to a 1-year deal with veteran hurler Javier Vazquez. Vazquez spent 2010 with the New York Yankees, where he had his worst seasons in years with a 5.32 ERA in over 150 innings.  The Yankees acquired him from the Atlanta Braves after Javier had a whopping 2.87 ERA in 219.1 innings with a tremendous 238 strike-outs in that span.  This is a terrific deal by Florida, buying low on a pitcher who will return to the same division as 2009 and will be a cornerstone in their rotation for next year. By far the best deal so far of the 2011 off-season

Ramblings: Davis, Beltre, Marlins

Davis will lead-off for TOR

• The Toronto Blue Jays acquired speedster Rajai Davis for two minor league relievers: Danny Farquhar and Trystan Magnuson.   Both prospects were ranked in Toronto's top 25 prospects, so they paid quite a bit for a 30-year old outfielder.  Davis hit .281 with 50 SB in 2010, so he will give the Blue Jays a much needed lead-off hitter.
• The Oakland A's have offered third-baseman Adrian Beltre a 5-year deal worth $45M.  Beltre has to love the years, but other teams are definitely going to offer him bigger contracts.  It is a decent attempt by Oakland, who tried to sign Adrian before Boston did last year. 
• The Florida Marlins have said that they are going to spend the money that would have gone to Dan Uggla on a starting pitcher.  They have interested in Javier Vasquez and Carl Pavano.  Pavano wants 3-years $33M, so Vasquez is the more cost conscious choice.

Florida Marlins Close to John Buck Deal

Buck will give Florida some
much needed power (20 HR)

The Florida Marlins are on the verge of signing their first big-name free-agent since 2005, as they are close to a 3-year $18M deal with catcher John Buck.  Buck had a nice year with the Toronto Blue Jays, hitting .281 with 20 HR and 66 RBI and will give the Marlins a decent defensive catcher with some power.  I don't like the amount of money per year, but the market seemed to be heating up on John Buck so I guess it was the price that the Marlins had to pay to get their guy.

Atlanta Acquires Dan Uggla

Uggla should fit in with ATL

The first trade of the GM Meetings is official as power-hitting second-baseman Dan Uggla goes from the Florida Marlins to the Atlanta Braves.  In return Florida gets 2010 All-Star infielder Omar Infante and young reliever Michael Dunn.  Uggla spent his entire 5-year career in Florida, and goes to division-rival Atlanta with 154 HR in that same span.  Last year Dan hit .287 with 33 HR and 105 RBI, so the Braves definitely got a middle of the order masher on their hands.  Infante is a utility player who can play all 7 infield/outfield spots, and his versatility is even more intriguing when you consider he hit .321 on the year with a couple home-runs and stolen-bases sprinkled in.  Omar is a contact hitter who the Marlins can slot anywhere on defense without losing a step, making him a manager's best friend.  As for Dunn, the 25-year old had a pleasant minor-league campaign (3.39 career ERA in his minors career) and pitched in 19 innings for the 2010 Braves.  He posted a 1.89 ERA with 27 K in those innings, so he is definitely a lockdown lefty.  Very even deal, as the Braves get a middle of the order bat who is about to get expensive (He turned down a 4-year/$48M deal with the Marlins and is entering his last year of arbitration) and the Marlins get a ultra-utility player who is coming off an All-star campaign and a reliever who should blossom in the Fish's pen.

San Diego Acquires Cameron Maybin

Cameron Maybin, the newest
Padre

• After the news broke a few hours ago that the Padres were talking to Florida about acquiring outfielder Cameron Maybin, the deal was finalized.  The Padres sent relievers Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica to the Marlins.  The 23-year old outfielder will slot nicely into San Diego's outfield, presummably in center-field.  Hopefully he can continue to improve and this would prove to be a nice deal by San Diego.  Webb is a lengthy reliever who has had terrific success in the major leagues (as all San Diego's pitchers do).  He has a 3.19 career ERA in just over 84 major league innings, and his K rate is decent at 6.7 K/9.  Mujica had two sub-4 ERA seasons after going to San Diego in 2009, and has terrific control (1.4 career BB/9).  The Marlins might have won immediately in this deal, getting two relievers who should shore up their bullpen.  The Padres take a gamble, giving up two quality relievers for a lottery ticket.  Maybin does have terrific potential though, so it may be worth the risk down the road.

Ramblings: Maybin, Kawakami, Uggla

• The San Diego Padres have approached the Florida Marlins about a possible deal for centerfielder Cameron Maybin.  Maybin is a terrific defensive center-fielder (+5.1 UZR in his career) and still is young with tremendous upside.  Florida received Maybin and Andrew Miller (who was traded yesterday) in the blockbuster trade for Miguel Cabrera a couple years ago.
• The Atlanta Braves have sent right-hander Kenshin Kawakami down to Double-A.  Kawakami put up a 5.15 ERA last year, and has now been demoted and removed from the 40-man roster.  Atlanta still owes him over $6.5M for next year.
• The Florida Marlins have broken off talks with second-baseman Dan Uggla, and a trade might be imminent.  Uggla would be a premiere bat on the market, and teams such as the Tigers have already said that they are interested in the powerful player.

Ramblings: Miller, Renteria, Encarnacion

Andrew Miller is the newest
Red Sox

• The Boston Red Sox have acquired left-hander Andrew Miller from the Florida Marlins.  Florida gets lefty reliever Dustin Richardson.  The 6'7" Miller was a first round pick in the 2006 draft, but has not reached the ceiling that scouts once believed he had.  He's thrown 294.1 major-league innings, with a horrific 5.84 ERA and 1.73 WHIP.  Boston will likely turn him into a reliever, which MLB Network's Peter Gammons believes might work.  Richardson has only thrown 16.1 innings in parts of the last two seasons, and has got very lucky posting a 3.31 ERA despite a WHIP over 2.  The Kansas native had a decent minor-league career though, so the Marlins pretty much got a piece with a lower ceiling but higher current state, with the Red Sox doing the oppostie and taking a gamble on Miller.
• World Series MVP Edgar Renteria has now made it clear that he wants to retire with either the Florida Marlins or St. Louis Cardinals, which is very odd considering he just won a world title with the Giants.  This might hurt his free-agency as well, since those teams don't seem to have room for him and now the Giants will likely turn their back on the 34-year old since he doesn't want to be back with San Fran.
• The busy Oakland A's made another move today, claiming third-baseman Edwin Encarnacion off waivers from the Blue Jays.  Edwin hit .244 last year, and cranked out 21 home-runs. A's GM Billy Beane is deep into his search for some bats, already acquiring OF David DeJesus earlier.