Here’s a quick rundown of some of the free agent signings that you might have missed in the midst of all the Sabathia, Yankees, Mets madness lately.

The Cincinnati Reds signed reliever Arthur Rhodes to a 2 year deal worth $4 million. The veteran lefty put up impressive numbers last year, pitching in 61 games with the Mariners and Marlins and going 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA.

The Minnesota Twins re-signed infielder Nick Punto to a 2 year deal worth $8.5 million. The infielder batted .284 with 2 long balls and 28 RBI in 99 games for the Twins last year and will likely be the team’s starting shortstop going forward.

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The New York Yankees continued their offseason spending spree, signing AJ Burnett to a 5 year deal worth $82.5 million. The Yankees appear to be capitalizing on the down turn in the economy, going on a historic spending spree while the rest of the league has been cutting costs and keeping a sharp eye on their bottom line. Earlier this week the Yanks inked CC Sabathia to a 7 year, $161 million deal, the largest ever contract for a pitcher. The latest signing is pending a physical which is usually a formality, however, with the injury prone Burnett there are no guarantees.

If you thought committing a total of $243.5 million over the next 7 years would take the Yankees out of shopping mode, think again. The New York Post reports that they’ve now joined the bidding for first baseman Mark Teixeira, with Manny Ramirez as a backup option should they lose out on the switch hitting first baseman.

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Teams have until midnight eastern time tonight to extend offers of arbitration to their free agents and I’ll be updating this page as often as news becomes available about teams’ arbitration actions.

Update

The offers are all in, and according to the AP only 24 players were offered arbitration. The list is as follows:

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Reader Cody asks:
Is there any rumors going around having to do with the cardinals aquiring a Starting pitcher such as A.J. Burnett or Roy Halladay? Or Is it true that the cardinals are increasing pursuit of Fuentes? Also one last question, is it in any way possible the cardinals will work out a deal for [...]

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Now here’s the type of rumor I’ve been craving as we close in on the July 31st deadline:
Dan Graziano of the Star Ledger reports that the Toronto Blue Jays are quietly contacting teams (namely the Cardinals and Dodgers) to gauge interest and the possible returns for ace pitcher, Roy Halladay.
Graziano states:
Apparently, the returns other teams [...]

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Several major league sources are reporting that the St. Louis Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to swap their starting third basemen. The Cardinals would be sending disgruntled Scott Rolen and likely some cash to Toronto in exchange for Troy Glaus. Both third basemen have a history of hitting for power and are [...]

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The Toronto Star is reporting that the Blue Jays have signed free-agent David Eckstein to a one-year deal for $4.5 million (U.S.). Eckstein was the World Series MVP for the Cardinals but suffered from injuries last year while still managing to bat .309 in 117 games. David’s gritty all-out play made him a fan favorite in St. [...]

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According to the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays have offered the San Francisco Giants prized young outfielder Alex Rios for rising star Matt Caine or Tim Lincecum. The Giants had been discussing several different deals for a power hitting outfielder and Rios certainly fits the bill with 24 home runs, 85 RBI (4 more than [...]

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According to ESPN.com starting pitcher Joe Kennedy died early this morning at his home in Florida. Kennedy was 28 and compiled a 4-9 record with an ERA under 5 last year for the Oakland A’s, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. The cause of death has not been reported yet but I’ll update [...]

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