The Brewers bolstered their injury-plagued pitching staff Tuesday, signing righthander Julian Tavarez for the major league minimum, as reported by Yahoo.com. Tavarez was designated for assignment by the Red Sox two weeks ago.

Jacque Jones got his wish as he officially became a member of the Florida Marlins on Monday morning, according to a report on ESPN.com. The outfielder, who was released by Detroit last week, made it known that he would prefer to play in South Florida with the first-place Marlins. He'll likely bat leadoff for the Marlins, who recently moved shortstop Hanley Ramirez to the third spot in the batting order.

The Dodgers recently signed Mark Bellhorn, a 10-year journeyman, to a minor league contract. The 33-year-old infielder debuted at Class AA Jacksonville Thursday.

The Marlins signed shortstop Hanley Ramirez to a six-year contract on Saturday, as reported by Yahoo.com. Financial terms were not disclosed for the deal, which runs through the 2014 season. But the Miami Herald reported seven days ago that Ramirez agreed to a $70M deal, the richest contract in franchise history.

The Associated Press on Thursday is reporting that Ryan Braun has just agreed to the largest contract in Brewers? history. ?I really believe in the direction this franchise is headed,? the NL Rookie of the Year said Thursday after his $45M, eight-year deal was announced. ?I?m extremely excited in our future.?

The Tampa Bay Rays and pitcher Scott Kazmir have agreed on a four-year contract extension. The first three years of the agreement covering 2009, 2010 and 2011 are guaranteed with the team holding an option for the 2012 season. The contract guarantees Kazmir $28.5 million and has a maximum value of approximately $39.5 million. Kazmir will donate up to $350,000 during the life of the contract to the Rays Baseball Foundation, the team?s charitable foundation that supports youth and education programs in the Tampa Bay region. Kazmir joins Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, Akinori Iwamura, Troy Percival, Carlos Pena, James Shields, Dan Wheeler, and Evan Longoria as Rays who have donated a portion of their multi-year contracts to the Rays Baseball Foundation. The 24-year-old Kazmir has a 36-30 career record and a 3.63 earned run average in 100 major league games, 99 starts. He has struck out 628 batters in 580.2 innings, an average of 9.73 strikeouts per nine innings, 13th best in major league history among pitchers with 500 or more innings. He is the Rays all-time leader in wins, strikeouts, starts and innings. He has recorded 14 games with 10 or more strikeouts. RealGM Note: Kazmir 'deserved' to make $12.86 million in 2007 as the 34th best player in the MLB according to our FIC and the 15th best starter. He therefore had a Reina Value of +2,930%.

Hanley Ramirez has agreed to the framework of a $70-million, six-year contract to remain with the Florida Marlins, a person familiar with the negotiations said Saturday, according to the Associated Press. The deal likely will be announced next weekend. RealGM Note: Ramirez is currently the 12th ranked player in the MLB according to our custom FIC (Field Impact Counter). He 'deserves' $16 million this season but is only making $439k and he, therefore, has a Reina Value of +3,545%.

The Blue Jays sent cash to the Rangers on Friday in exchange for Kevin Mench and signed free agent Brad Wilkerson to bolster their outfield, according to The Associated Press. Mench was playing in Triple-A Oklahoma, while Wilkerson was released by Seattle on April 30. "I'm working on three hours sleep," Mench said before the start of a four-game series against the Indians. "It's been a whirlwind last 24 hours." "They are two guys we've always liked," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "We've been looking for a right-handed bat to complement [Matt] Stairs at DH. We've also been looking for a left-handed hitter. To be able to get both is like a bonus."

Julio Franco has finally retired from the game of baseball at age 49 after 23 years as a professional ballplayer, according to the Contra Costa Times. "It was the hardest decision in my life," Franco said in an interview published Saturday. "I always said I would be the first one to know the exact moment. I think the numbers speak for themselves, the production speaks, and this is the right moment." "I understand that my time has passed, and the great men and athletes know when to say enough." In 2007, he became the oldest player ever to hit a home run in the Major Leagues.