• The Marlins signed Ricky Nolasko to a $26.5 million extension over three years.
• The Pirates handed Garrett Atkins a minor league contract with a spring training invite. It is a one-year deal worth a reported $800k.
• The Colorado Rockies completed a trade for Matt Lindstrom with the Astros. The Astros received a couple of minor league arms, Jonnathan Aristil and Wes Musick.
• Probably the three most popular trades are all pending confirmation. Two of the deals involve a division rival, as former Mariner Arthur Rhodes and former Diamondback’s ace, Brandon Webb, are in all likelihood headed to the Texas Rangers. The third pending contract is Brad Hawpe’s deal with the Padres.

Everyone knew that the Rangers were looking to spend this offseason. In Rhodes, they’ll acquire a quality reliever which will solidify their pen. In Webb, the Mariners might have trouble. If Webb can return to health and form, he could be a potent weapon for the Rangers rotation. Every team in the AL West still has money to spend (except maybe the Mariners), so I’m predicting far more signings from this division in the future.

• Milwaukee resigned Craig Counsell. The 40-year-old utility infielder will receive $1.4 million on a one-year contract.
• The Brewers also signed a familiar reliever for Mariners fans, Sean Green. He was awarded a one-year contract, with a non-guaranteed $875k.
• Luxury Tax bills were announced by Major League Baseball yesterday. As usual, the Yankees were fined $18 million. The Red Sox were the only other team above the threshold, and had to pay $1.5 million. Interestingly, this was the lowest Yankees luxury tax bill in seven seasons.

The Mariners moved catcher Rob Johnson to the Padres in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. The compensation is basically a bag of peanuts, as nobody expected much of a market for a backup catcher with an OPS roughly fifty percentage points lower than Josh Hamilton’s slugging percentage. He was never very good on the diamond, but he was certainly likeable off of it. He worked with his pitchers well. Those are the only two compliments I can give him.

Good luck to you, Rob Johnson. Have a nice post-Mariner career.

A couple of incentive-filled contracts were handed out to familiar names who have been known to compete well in the past. Obviously, we know Rich Harden as the Mariners fan-favorite free agent target last offseason. Texas didn’t work out for Harden, so in a season where anything that possibly could go wrong eventually did, the M’s fan may take comfort and solace in the fact that we were spared the pain of watching the season fall apart in the hands of a player we all greatly desired. Oakland is a nice fit for a rehabilitating figure like Harden and this only adds to the possibility that with a little luck, the A’s just might be within reach of an American League West title. One of the many manifestations of this luck is Harden’s ability to stay healthy and perform.

There are two reasons that one might hang on to him until the trading deadline in July. First of all, it’s important to obtain maximum value. If it’s highly likely that an offer in July will supersede an offer in January, one should obviously wait until July to pull the trigger on the trade.

Secondly, one must be concerned with the well-being of the other players on the team. It’s essential they have solid seasons, it’s necessary. For veterans, a good seasons means a potential trade partner for said player. For younger players, it’s about growth and reaching potential. It’s also about being comfortable in the league; nothing says confidence like a .300 batting average, or clubbing a couple dozen dingers. In order for a player to play his absolute best he must have motivation, and motivation could be lacking if the player deems his GM and upper management are waiving the white flag before the season has even started. For this reason, it might be a good idea to hold on to David Aardsma until the team inevitably falls out of contention, since the current roster is clearly not a playoff contender.

I don’t know what offers the Mariners are receiving for Aardsma. Logic dictates a few offers have to be on the table. I know Colorado has been named as a potential suitor, however they reportedly backed off due to the Mariners refusing too many of their trade ideas. I’d rather not speculate on what they’re offering. This post isn’t about describing an adequate offer that will properly evaluate Aardsma. It’s about emphasizing the  point that though the Mariner fan base has enjoyed J.J. Putz’s replacement, in fact we’ve grown rather fond of him, it’s time to part directions. It’s time for him to leave.

Markets for closers are theoretically better in the offseason, while more teams view themselves as contenders. But this is, as stated, a generalization. I wouldn’t question Jack Z if he chose to hang on to Aardsma for the time being. I won’t panic if Aardsma is a Mariner entering the 2011 campaign. However, my expectations are clear. We need to receive something for him while he’s still a Mariner. There’s simply no reason against it. As an analyst, I’m hoping for another quality season that will display Aardsma positively, as a quality closer. As a fan, it’s unfortunate to see him go.

• The Orlando Hudson contract has been made official. Hudson has signed a two-year contract with the Padres for $11.5 million.
• It appears former Mariner Bill Hall has signed a one-year deal with the Astros for $3.25 million. The deal also has a mutual option for the 2012 season.
• Josh Fields, the third baseman who was supposed to be a regular for the White Sox last season, has inked a new minor league deal with the Pirates. The contract details are unclear, but the deal does include a spring training invite.
• Another reliever is rewarded quite well financially, as the White Sox signed Jesse Crain to a three-year, $13 million deal.
• The Indians inked Austin Kearns for $1.3 million, not including incentives. It’s a one-year contract.
• Also noteworthy is Chan Ho Park’s departure from the United States. He’s signed with a Japanese ball club.

The Padres have greatly secured their up-the-middle defense, as new additions Bartlett and Hudson now anchor the middle infield positions. Bill Hall seems to have re-earned a starting spot at second base. If he had signed for a slightly cheaper price, I would have suggested he’d be a good fit for the Mariners, ironically.

The only player mentioned on this post that I actually disdain is Josh Fields. For consecutive years he ruined my fantasy team. At 28, he still has time to vindicate those who projected him as a potential superstar, but it’s unlikely. More reasonably, he has time to begin to make a major league career for himself. However, he’s shown little promise at this point.

One cannot help but notice the similarities between this deal and the last blockbuster move by the Brewers two years ago, which is the acquiring of C.C. Sabathia from the Indians. Although many will say Melvin has once again recklessly rendered too much in pursuit of the playoffs, its worth noting that his strategy did work out last time. The Brewers made the playoffs and the highly touted Matt LaPorta still hasn’t accomplished anything at the big league level, though it is early to write him off.

The impact this deal will have around the league is fairly clear. For those clubs still searching for an impact-arm, the demand has increased. At least, the illusion of demand has increased. In reality, there is one less pitcher available, but also one less suitor, and though teams can acquire multiple impact-arms, its unlikely any will have the required minor league depth. Thus, the inevitable result will be a scramble for the next best target, as no team wants to be left out.

In summary, this is a situation in which the highest bidder has won. Melvin simply flung his organization’s cabinet doors wide open and said “Kansas City, what would you like?” I’m not in favor of this move if I’m a Brewers fan. However, if I’m a Brewers fan, I’m definitely excited for the 2011 season. In the end, that’s all a fan really wants, right? Excitement, and that’s exactly what Melvin delivered to them. Perhaps this has some tie to the Mariners current situation. I don’t remember the last time a move generated some legitimate, immediate excitement. I don’t just mean a quality signing or a smart decision. I mean the spill-the-coffee-on-the-keyboard type of thrill toward the following season. Honestly, the last time I felt like that was probably the Erik Bedard trade. Whether for good or for ill, these types of acquisitions are happy moves, ones the fan can’t help but enjoy. Even the strictest and most mathematical, sabermetrics-oriented fan cannot help but look at the trade and somewhere in the midst of his reading and analyzing, smile about it. I’m not suggesting this was a good acquisition, but there is some value in creating hype. Getting high on a deal is good for the game and for one’s personal fanhood, it’s the crash a couple of seasons later that sucks (see “Mariners Fans”). In this regard, Melvin’s trade is already a success. That is, until it becomes a failure.

If I were a GM for a major league club at this moment, I would be viewing the free agent relief market as highly inflated. If I were a GM for a major league team at this moment in need of a reliever, I would be looking for a trade to fill my needs. I believe Jack Z should take this into consideration as he sees free agent relievers everywhere signing expensive contracts, and knows that he has a quality, available arm in his bullpen, David Aardsma. I have to believe that based on multiyear, outrageous contracts some of these pitchers are receiving, there is a market for him from at least a few smarter teams.

The Wheeler deal isn’t a great example of these overpriced relief contracts, but it certainly doesn’t represent frugile spending.

• The San Diego Padres have acquired SS Jason Bartlett from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for three minor league relievers and one position player. Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos and Brandon Gomes are the pitchers, while Cole Figueroa represents the fourth prospect, an infielder.

Bartlett is only one year removed from an outstanding offensive season, in which he produced a wOBA of .389 and WAR of 4.9. He’s a mediocre defender and a safe bet to be an overall average shortstop. The Rays will also send a player to be named later in this deal. I know little about the four prospects, but at least two of them are major league ready.

It appears that the Padres are also preparing to announce a second transaction, the signing of a two-year contract with second baseman Orlando Hudson.

After much pondering, my answer is that Jack Zduriencik is polite. He knew that he would deal Felix Hernandez under the right circumstances for the right package, however, he also recognized that the Yankees would likely never agree to such a deal. Felix simply has so much trade value, that even New York couldn’t begin to offer enough. Thus, instead of laying out seemingly absurd demands (from Cashman’s perspective), Jack chose to leave it alone. A smart choice.

In contemplating what I believed would be enough to sacrifice King Felix, I couldn’t think of anything reasonable at all. A deal would have to center around a youthful player with tons of talent, and include a handful of highly touted, major league ready prospects. Robinson Cano fits the latter description. Gardner, Montero, and Hughes are all interesting names for the second requirement, but none are good enough to substitute a Cano-level talent. However, if this idea had been submitted to Cashman, Zduriencik wouldn’t have been the one hanging up the phone. In this situation, there’s nothing to do but completely abandon the notion of dealing Felix, and simply enjoy him for the next four years.