Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Wiretap

Finley Headed North In California

The San Francisco Giants acquired outfielder Steve Finley from the Los Angeles Angels for third baseman Edgardo Alfonzo on Wednesday in a swap of former All-Stars who dropped off dramatically last season.

The Giants have been interested in Finley for some time, pursuing him twice previously in free agency -- including last winter before he went to the AL West champion Angels. San Francisco wound up signing Moises Alou.

Finley has long produced some of his biggest hits against the Giants while with every NL West rival excluding Colorado, hitting a grand slam for the Dodgers during the final weekend of the 2004 season to keep San Francisco from making the playoffs.

"Steve Finley is a player that can win games in many ways -- with his bat, his glove and his knowledge,'' Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. "He will give Felipe [Alou] many options in the outfield along with returning starters Barry Bonds, Moises Alou and Randy Winn, as well as provide great veteran presence."

Via Associated Press

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Mariners Close In On Former Angel Pitcher

The Seattle Mariners are nearing a four-year deal with free-agent pitcher Jarrod Washburn, filling the team's need for another veteran arm in the starting rotation.

Washburn, who was fourth in the American League with a 3.20 ERA last season, was close to a four-year deal worth between $35 and 40 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press Friday night, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet in place.

The News Tribune of Tacoma first reported the parties nearing an agreement on its Web site.

Via AP

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Angels Deal For Romero

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were relatively quiet during Major League Baseball's winter meetings, which concluded Thursday. One day later, they made a move to bolster their bullpen.

On Friday, the Angels acquired lefthanded reliever J.C. Romero from the Minnesota Twins for minor league infielder Alexi Casilla.

Romero, 29, went 4-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 68 games this past season as the top lefty in the Twins' bullpen. He appeared in at least 73 games the previous three seasons, including a career-high 81 in 2002 when he went 9-2 with a 1.89 ERA.

Via Yahoo!

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D-Back May Get Involved On Manny Trade With Angels

The buzz for the Red Sox at these winter meetings begins and ends with the fate of Manny Ramirez. Last night, a trade looked more likely than not. ?Reasons for optimism are accurate,? said Jed Hoyer, from the Red Sox baseball operations department, after meetings with eight different clubs yielded ?one new entry? in the Ramirez sweepstakes. That brings the admitted total to six teams who have expressed some level of interest in Ramirez, although the leading destination remains the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. With the Angels definitely unwilling to trade their best young pitcher, Ervin Santana, a third team must get involved to get Ramirez to Southern California. The latest front-runners are the Diamondbacks, who would receive a package of prospects from the Angels while the Sox would receive Arizona?s Troy Glaus, who would be used at first base. Since the Angels would have to shed some salary to accommodate Ramirez? $57 million, the Red Sox might also have to take an existing contract off their hands as well, possibly Darin Erstad. A trade to the Mets grew less likely, but it is early still in these meetings and general manager Omar Minaya?s well-known adoration of Ramirez has not vanished. The Red Sox? gang of four ? senior adviser Bill Lajoie, Ben Cherington, Hoyer and Craig Shipley ? intimated that a trade of Ramirez presented significant challenges, not the least of which was filling his spot in the lineup. ?First of all, we?re not going to get fair value in any shape or form (for Ramirez),? Lajoie said. ?This is an A-1 hitter. If you trade him, you are not going to get value, man for man. We will go as far as we can to satisfy him but we also have to satisfy the Red Sox.? As for the concern, repeated frequently, that Ramirez might skip spring training if he were not traded, Lajoie said, ?We?d still be looking for a hitter.? No deal is imminent. The Red Sox were expecting to meet late into the night to have a better idea of which direction to take their talks today.

Via Boston Herald

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