Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes told reporters in the Dominican Republic that the Chicago Cubs are currently the leading suitors in the chase for his services, as reported by ESPN Chicago. Cespedes is considered one of the top players left on the market, but he noted that the Cubs' heavy interest doesn't mean he'll sign there.

Of all the teams that have approached us, the one that has had the most interest in me has been the Chicago Cubs. I have had dinner a couple of times [with Cubs officials] and we have talked a lot, but that doesn't mean that I am going to sign with them.

Cespedes, 26, is currently playing for Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Republic while he awaits his designation as a free agent by MLB. At that point, the outfielder will be free to sign with any of the 30 teams, many of which are interested.

The Houston Astros and free agent Jack Cust have agreed to a one-year deal that includes a club option for the 2013 season, according Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle. We still haven't received information on the money that he'll receive in the deal, which was initially reported on by FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

Cust, 33, had a lackluster 2011 while being released by both the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies. He only got into MLB playing time with Seattle, posting a .213/.344/.329 line over 270 plate appearances while showing off his trademark patience.

Power was once a key part of Cust's game, but he's shown gradual decline in his power numbers over the years. In 2007-2008, Cust hit 59 homers and posted a .247 isolated power, but in the three years since he's hit just 41 homers with a .161 isolated power.

In Cust, the Astros get another intriguing power bat to play around with in 2012. Between him, Brett Wallace and Carlos Lee, Houston has three defensively-challenged hitters that could potentially emerge as DH options when the team moves to the American League in 2013.

Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants have now exchanged arbitration figures. According to Jon Heyman, Lincecum filed for $21.5M, while the Giants filed for $17M. Giants VP of Baseball Operations has said that he's optimistic that the two will reach an agreement without going through a hearing.

As expected, the figures exceed the numbers filed by Derek Jeter and the Yankees in 2001, setting new records. Lincecum, 27, has a 2.98 ERA and over 1100 strikeouts through his first five seasons. He also has four all-star nods and two Cy Young awards to his name. In 2011, Lincecum posted a 130 ERA+ in 217 innings (33 starts), and despite a career-low in strikeout rate, he maintained a K/9 above 9. As of now, he's set to hit the free agent market in 2014.

• Twitter / @JonHeymanCBS: Tim files at $21.5M, giant ...
  "Tim files at $21.5M, giants at $17M"

• Twitter / @hankschulman: Gs Bobby Evans re Lincecum ...
  "'Gs Bobby Evans re Lincecum: 'I'm overall optimistic that well find common ground without a hearing room.'"

Today is the day when teams and players are required to file salary figures for arbitration, and given that the hearing can often become contentious, all sides usually put a pretty earnest effort into avoiding going to such hearings.

With that in mind, numerous players have agreed to one-year contracts for the 2012 season on Tuesday in order to avoid arbitration and keep things a tad simpler. Here are the NL Central players that have avoided arbitration by agreeing to deals on Tuesday:

Continue reading this post »

According to Jon Heyman from CBS Sports, the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one year deal with left handed pitcher Joe Saunders. The deal is for $6 million.

Saunders came up with the Anaheim Angels and was traded to Arizona as a part of the Dan Haren trade mid 2010. Saunders was non tendered by the D=Backs in mid December. His projected salary arbitration was worth $2.7 million more, according to some reports.

The D-Backs rotation is one of the most under rated in baseball, with Trevor Cahill, Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson and Saunders. All of these players have been acquired via trade, interestingly enough. Teams like the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles and Miami Marlins showed some interest in signing the left hander.

Saunders is now 30 years old. He has averaged 200 innings or more since the 2008 season, so he is very useful in a young rotation like Arizona's. Overall, solid signing.

While news has been pouring out all day long about players avoiding arbitration, the biggest news is likely to be the Detroit Tigers' announcement that designated hitter Victor Martinez has a torn ACL and will likely be forced to miss the entire 2012 season. Martinez injured himself while doing winter workouts last week.

With the injury, a major need at the designated hitter position opens up for Detroit. This is a team that had been expecting Martinez to be a major factor on offense once again after a strong 2011 season, but now they may need to play the entire 2012 season without one of their best hitters. Martinez hit .330/.380/.470 in 595 PA's for Detroit last season, and was expected to be the full-time DH in 2012.

Now the Tigers are likely to be on the prowl for a new designated hitter without Martinez, and that could lead them in a variety of directions. Here are some of the rumors that have already popped up on Detroit's likely search for a new bat:

Continue reading this post »

Today is the day when teams and players are required to file salary figures for arbitration, and given that the hearing can often become contentious, all sides usually put a pretty earnest effort into avoiding going to such hearings.

With that in mind, numerous players have agreed to one-year contracts for the 2012 season on Tuesday in order to avoid arbitration and keep things a tad simpler. Here are the NL West players that have avoided arbitration by agreeing to deals on Tuesday:

Continue reading this post »