The Cleveland Indians have signed Guzman to a minor league contract.
Analysis: Guzman didn't play last season because of a shoulder problem, but the 33-year-old passed a physical with the Indians on Tuesday and will have a chance to win a job during training camp. A two-time All-Star, Guzman is a career .271 hitter in 12 seasons with Minnesota, Washington and Texas. He played with the Nationals for Indians manager Manny Acta, who called and asked him if he wanted to keep playing.
Howard took live batting practice for the first time since he tore his left Achilles tendon while making the final out of the Philadelphia Phillies' season-ending 1-0 loss to St. Louis last postseason.
Analysis: The big slugger says he's pleased with his recovery, but that he hasn't set a ``time limit'' on his return. Howard only started swinging a bat less than two weeks ago, and took his first cuts off pitchers on Wednesday.
Aardsma has agreed to a $500,000, one-year contract with the New York Yankees. The 30-year-old missed all of 2011. He started the season on the disabled list following surgery on the labrum of his left hip on Jan. 3 last year, felt arm soreness during a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Tacoma from April 19-29, then had elbow-ligament replacement surgery in July.
Analysis: Selected by Colorado with the 22nd pick of the 2003 amateur draft, Aardsma is 13-15 with a 4.20 ERA in 254 relief appearances over six seasons. ``He's someone with a lot of ability that we feel will be a benefit for us in the long run,'' New York general manager Brian Cashman said. ``Maybe it's more 2013, there's an outside chance in 2012.''
The pitcher Roberto Hernandez, formerly known as Carmona, told The Associated Press he hopes to obtain a judicial pardon and return to the Cleveland Indians this season.
Analysis: Hernandez was placed on baseball's restricted list after he was arrested in the Dominican Republic on false identity charges last month. Authorities have said he is 31, three years older than the pitcher claimed. "I'm doing all that is necessary so that when the pardon is granted, I won't have to wait long to play again,'' he said Wednesday. Hernandez also said he keeps in touch with Indians manager Manny Acta. "He has provided support,'' he said.
Ibanez and the New York Yankees have finalized a $1.1 million, one-year contract. The deal was announced Tuesday, one day after the sides reached agreement. It includes $2.9 million in performance bonuses.
Analysis: Ibanez is a 39-year-old outfielder who played with Philadelphia the previous three seasons and hit .245 last year with 20 homers and 84 RBIs. He is expected to become the Yankees' main designated hitter against right-handed starters.
Seattle manager Eric Wedge says he will begin the season having Chone Figgins bat leadoff and hit Ichiro third in the Mariners batting order. Wedge made the announcement on Tuesday. It will be the first time in his career that Suzuki will not bat leadoff on a regular basis, having hit somewhere else in the batting order only a few times in his decade-long career with the Mariners.
Analysis: Suzuki is coming off the worst year of his career in America, hitting .272, the first time he's failed to hit at least .300. Suzuki's 184 hits were also a career low. But now that he's in an RBI slot, he could become much more productive so he could be worth more in your fantasy draft.
Chapman will be tested as a starter this spring by the Cincinnati Reds. The 24-year old lefthander whose pitches have been clocked at 105 mph has a 6-3 record with a 3.27 ERA in 69 relief appearances over the last two seasons with Cincinnati.
Analysis: Chapman was supposed to pitch in the Arizona Fall League as a starter, and then in one of the Puerto Rican winter leagues. But shoulder soreness canceled the plan. ``We are going to stretch him out,'' manager Dusty Baker said. ``We are going to see if there is enough time and he can do it. If there isn't enough time or quality, we can send back to the bullpen.''
Ivan Rodriguez insists he's not ready to retire - yet.
Analysis: The 14-time All-Star and 40-year-old catcher said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Monday night that he's in great shape and is healthy. A strained right oblique limited him to a career-low 44 games last year with Washington and he hit just .218 with two homers and 19 RBIs. Rodriguez has 2,844 career hits and says being in the 3,000-hit club is important to him.
Drew took part Monday in the Diamondbacks' first drills of spring training.
Analysis: Drew broke his right ankle and severely damaged ligaments sliding into home plate seven months ago. He went through grueling rehabilitation and says he took off only three days during the entire process. Despite his recovery, Drew says it's too early to tell if he will be ready for the team's season opener on April 6.
A person with knowledge of the negotiations says slugger Manny Ramirez is close to signing a contract with the Oakland Athletics that would be worth approximately $500,000. ESPN first reported the sides had reached agreement Monday, speaking directly to the slugger. A person confirmed the sides were closing in on a contract, speaking on condition of anonymity because Ramirez still must take a physical and likely another drug test.
Analysis: The A's made public their interest in Ramirez, who must first serve a 50-game suspension for his second positive drug test before he can play for Oakland. Barring rainouts, his first game could be May 30 - on his 40th birthday.
Hanson is being checked for a possible concussion after blowing a tire on his way to the first workout of spring training. Manager Fredi Gonzalez says he got a call from Hanson shortly after 7 a.m. Monday. The right-hander wrecked near the team's Disney World training complex and apparently bumped his head on the steering wheel or windshield.
Analysis: If everything checks out OK, Hanson should be back on the field in the next day or two.
Rivera says he is refreshed by the start of spring training and won't announce his long-term plans until after the season. Rivera said on Monday that ``after this year we'll see'' about whether he will retire or return in 2013.
Analysis: Rivera is coming off another stellar year last season in which he went 1-2 with 44 saves and a 1.91 ERA.
Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo says Stephen Strasburg's innings limit won't cause the pitcher to skip starts this season.
Analysis: The 23-year-old missed most of last season while recovering from elbow-ligament replacement surgery. He returned for five starts in September.
Zito made a slight change to his delivery this winter he hopes will help him rebound from an injury-plagued season. During the offseason, he worked on bending his front leg to get lower to the ground and speed up the momentum the ball gains getting to the plate. The San Francisco left-hander is headed into the sixth season of a $126 million, seven-year contract as the Giants' projected fifth starter.
Analysis: Zito's plan is pretty simple - et back to keeping hitters guessing by disguising what he's throwing. While he wouldn't acknowledge whether he thought his pitches might have become too easy to pick up, he noted, ``I think there's always room for improvement.'' It's hard to believe this tweak will improve things for the struggling southpaw.
A person familiar with the negotiations says Ibanez and the New York Yankees have agreed to a $1.1 million, one-year contract. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because the deal had not been announced.
Analysis: Ibanez is a 39-year-old outfielder who played with Philadelphia the last three seasons. He is expected to be the Yankees' primary designated hitter against right-handed starting pitchers. New York decided on him over Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, who also are free agents.
Burnett's rocky tenure in pinstripes is over. The Yankees and Pirates have completed a trade Sunday that sends the much-maligned pitcher to Pittsburgh for a pair of minor leaguers. New York will also give the Pirates cash to cover part of Burnett's hefty salary.
Analysis: The teams agreed to the deal Friday, but it was subject to Burnett passing a physical. He was at Pirates camp Sunday in Bradenton, Fla., to take his exam. Commissioner Bud Selig also had to approve the deal because of the money involved. Pittsburgh will pay $13 million of the $33 million salary due Burnett for 2012 and 2013.
Morales has been cleared to run outdoors, the next step in his recovery from a broken ankle that sidelined him last season. The first baseman has spent much of the offseason working out in the area. On Sunday, he ran on a non-weight bearing treadmill and did outdoor exercises with a trainer.
Analysis: Manager Mike Scioscia has watched video of Morales and said he "looks great." Morales will increase his running Monday. Scioscia is "more optimistic" that Morales, who batted .306 with 34 homers and 108 RBIs in 2009, will be able to fill a role for the club this season, perhaps as a DH in the cleanup spot behind Albert Pujols. Morales was moved off first when the club signed the superstar free agent this winter.
Cameron has told the Nationals he is retiring after a 17-season career in which the center fielder won three Gold Gloves.
Analysis: The 39-year-old outfielder signed a minor league contract with Washington in December and was expected to have a good shot to make the roster with the Nationals unsettled at center field. The 2001 All-Star played for eight franchises, hitting .249 with 278 homers and 968 RBIs.
Kendrick agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Phillies on Sunday.
Analysis: Kendrick, 27, went 8-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 34 games for the Phillies last year. He made 15 starts, as Philadelphia won the National League East division title. He is now under contract through 2013, and the deal includes performance and award bonuses. Kendrick was at his best within the division last year. In 18 games against the NL East, in fact, he went 5-2 with a 2.14 ERA.
