AGRI Biz

One of the most fascinating rumors to come to life over the past few weeks has been the Adrian Beltre to the A's rumor. The normally frugal Athletics are taking a "serious look" at signing Beltre, who at just 30 years old, is one of the best free agents left on the market and by far the best free agent third baseman. As ESPN's Buster Olney writes: "They are taking a ...

Met fans have been clamoring for Omar Minaya to make a splash and sign a big name free agent. I'm not sure that this signing counts, but according to a report by Joel Sherman of the New York Post , Kelvim Escobar is on his way to becoming a New York Met : I can confirm other reports that the #Mets are on the brink of signing Kelvim Escobar to a ...

We're all over the Jose Valverde situation today as Nick Piecoro adds in this note about the Diamondbacks and Valverde: "Still curious to see what becomes of the situation with RHP Jose Valverde? The Diamondbacks remain interested in bringing him backùat their price, of course. A scenario the Diamondbacks would consider: Offering him a one-year deal at a lower based salary than what heÆs seeking, say, $5 million, along with a ...

On Monday, I pondered if Jose Valverde was going to be this year's Orlando Hudson. Just three days later, the number of teams who could potentially be interested in Valverde continues to wane. Two teams I thought could have interest in Valverde seem to have moved in different directions. The Philadelphia Phillies: close to signing mystery pitcher (rumored to be Danys Baez). The Los Angeles Angels: signed Fernando Rodney to a ...

It looks like the Braves have found their right-handed power hitter. Despite playing only six games in his career at first base, the Braves signed Troy Glaus to a one-year/$2 million contract yesterday: Free agent corner infielder Troy Glaus and the Atlanta Braves have reached a tentative agreement on a contract, a baseball source told ESPN.com on Wednesday. Glaus must undergo a physical exam before the deal can be completed. The physical is ...

After sorting through a litany of teams that were interested in his services, Matt Capps has narrowed his choices down to two teams: the Nationals and the Cubs. Ten days after he landed on the free-agent market, Capps has to decide whether he wants to be a closer for the Washington Nationals or a setup man and fallback closer candidate for the Cubs . Agent Paul Kinzer said Tuesday that Capps plans ...

Now that the Phillies have added Roy Halladay, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has turned his attention to shoring up their shaky bullpen. With Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre set to leave Philadelphia, Amaro has identified his two main targets: Fernando Rodney and Mike MacDougal. Both guys have experience closing, which is vital for the Phillies given how bad Brad Lidge performed last season. The going rate for Rodney ...

Lost in the shuffle of the Yankees tremendous offseason has been their relative inactivity on the Aroldis Chapman front. At the beginning of the offseason, the Yankees were heavily linked to the Cuban left hander because of their vast financial resources and experience signing international prospects. But now that the Yankees have acquired Curtis Granderson, Javier Vazquez, and Nick Johnson already (and pushed their 2010 payroll to $204 ...

The Mets badly need a starting pitcher. Joel Pineiro is the best starter left on the free agent market. So shouldn't Pineiro to the Mets be a logical fit? Maybe not: "With Marquis, John Lackey and Randy Wolf now unavailable, the Mets could be down to the last of the preferred free-agent starting pitchersùJoel Pineiro. But there has been no indication that they have any great interest in him. The $29.75 ...

á Am I alone in thinking that Jose Valverde, considered to be one of the best closers on the open market, might wind up signing a contract for less than what Brandon Lyon recieved? We'll see. But for now, Ken Rosenthal outlines the problems facing Valverde's free agency: No, ValverdeÆs problem is that he is a Type A free agent who rejected his teamÆs offer of salary arbitration. His decision, in ...