National Baseball Report

Orioles sign Joel Guzman

The Baltimore Orioles signed Joel Guzman to a minor league contract according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  Guzman hit .268 with 12 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A for the Washington Nationals in 2009.

Orioles sign pitcher Mark Hendrickson

The Baltimore Orioles signed pitcher Mark Hendrickson to a one-year, $1.2 million contract according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.  The deal includes a club option for 2011 with a $200,000 buyout.  Hendrickson was 6-5 with a 4.378 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP for the Orioles in 2009.  He is expected to primarily pitch out of the bullpen in 2010.

Orioles sign Miguel Tejada

The Baltimore Orioles signed shortstop Miguel Tejada to a one-year, $6 million contract according to ESPN.com.  Tejada can earn another $1 million in incentives for playing time.  Tejada is expected to play third base for the Orioles.  He hit .313 with 14 home runs, 86 RBI and an .810 OPS for the Houston Astros in 2009.

Tejada was the first high-profile player convicted of a crime stemming from baseball's steroids era. In February 2009, Tejada pleaded guilty to misleading Congress and admitted he withheld information about an ex-teammate's use of performance-enhancing drugs when questioned in 2005 by congressional investigators.

Tejada was sentenced to probation, 100 hours of community service and a $5,000 fine.

Tejada acknowledged he bought human growth hormone while playing for the Oakland Athletics but said he threw the drugs away without using them, and prosecutors said during his February plea hearing they had no evidence to contradict that.

Phillies sign Danys Baez

The Philadelphia Phillies signed relief pitcher Danys Baez pending a physical according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  Baez had a 4.02 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP for the Baltimore Orioles in 2009.  The Phillies expect Baez to be a middle inning relief pitcher for them in 2010.

Cardinals increase offer to Holliday

The St. Louis Cardinals have increased their offer to Matt Holliday to six years and at least $100 million according to Jon Heyman of SI.com.  The Cardinals are thought to be the favorite to sign Holliday but other teams are also involved in the bidding.

The Baltimore Orioles are one of the teams believed to be bidding for Holliday.  The New York Mets dropped out after Holliday turned down a four-year, $66 million offer.  The Boston Red Sox were interested in Holliday but it is not known if they are still involved after signing Mike Cameron.

Orioles finalize Atkins signing

The Baltimore Orioles finalized the signing of third baseman Garrett Atkins according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.  The contract is for one year and $4 million.  The deal contains $250,000 in potential bonuses and an $8.5 million club option for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout.  Atkins was non-tendered by the Colorado Rockies.

Orioles sign Mike Gonzalez and Garrett Atkins

The Baltimore Orioles signed free agent third baseman Garrett Atkins and pitcher Mike Gonzalez.  Gonzalez was signed to a two-year, $12 million contract with incentives which could increase it to $16 million.  Gonzalez is a Type A free agent, so the Orioles will give their second round pick to the Atlanta Braves.  Gonzalez was 5-4 with a 2.42 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in 74.1 innings pitched for the Atlanta Braves in 2009.

Atkins signed a one-year contract.  Atkins hit .226 with nine home runs and 48 RBI with a .650 OPS for the Colorado Rockies in 2009.

Orioles sign Albers and Meredith

The Baltimore Orioles signed relief pitchers Matt Albers and Cla Meredith.  Both players were eligible for abitration and very well might have been non-tendered had they not signed.  Albers was 3-6 with a 5.51 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP in 67 innings pitched for the Orioles in 2009.  Mereditch was 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.

Orioles acquire Millwood from Rangers

The Baltimore Orioles acquired starting pitcher Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers in exchange for relief pitcher Chris Ray and a player to be named later.  The Rangers will pay $3 million of Millwood's $12 million salary for 2010.

Kevin Millwood went 13-10 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP for the Rangers in 2009.  He is 155-121 with a 4.02 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP for his career.  Millwood had a limited no-trade clause in his contract which allowed him to block a trade to 12 teams.  The Orioles were not one of the twelve teams.

Chris Ray went 0-4 with a 7.27 ERA and a 2.01 WHIP for the Orioles in 2009.  Ray won the closer's role for the Orioles after the 2005 season by posting a 2.66 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 2005.  In 2006, he had a 2.73 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and 33 saves.  Ray struggled in 2007 and had ligament reconstruction surgery in his pitching elbow.

Marlins expect to trade Uggla at the Winter Meetings

The Florida Marlins expect to trade second baseman Dan Uggla at the Winter Meetings next week.  The San Francisco Giants are considered the most serious team pursuing Uggla.  The Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox also expressed interest at one point, but the Orioles are reported to no longer be in the hunt for Uggla.

Source: Joe Capozzi - Palm Beach Post