Relief pitcher Aaron Fultz and the Tigers agreed to a minor league contract Saturday, as reported by the Associated Press. The 34-year-old left-hander will report to Triple-A Toledo. He was released Friday by the Indians after compiling an 11.88 ERA in seven spring training appearances.

The Padres exercised Manager Bud Black?s option for the 2009 season Tuesday, according to an Associated Press report. Black made his managerial debut with the Padres in 2007, leading the club to an 89-74 record. The team fell one win short of a third straight playoff appearance. The 89 wins were the most for the Padres since they won a franchise-record 98 games in 1998.

Pittsburgh second basemen Freddy Sanchez's sore shoulder could keep him out on Opening Day, so the Pirates signed infielder Luis Rivas for insurance, according to the Associated Press. "When I hit, it's fine. When I run, it's fine. Even when I throw lightly, it's fine. It's not until I throw hard, I try to let it go, that it doesn't cooperate," Sanchez said. "That's why I'd rather take more time off now, than go through the whole season like this because this is not fun." Sanchez is not expected to play in the field for the next few days, but he will taking batting practice. The Pirates will open the 2008 season on Monday March 31 in Atlanta.

The Cubs agreed on a $1.3M, one-year deal with Reed Johnson on Tuesday, adding depth and a right-handed bat to their outfield, according to an Associated Press report. A career .281 hitter with the Blue Jays, Johnson was released Sunday after missing more than three months last year because of a lower back injury. He had surgery last April to fix a herniated disc and hit .236 ? a sharp drop from his .319 average in 2006.

The Twins and closer Joe Nathan have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that includes a club option for a fourth year, according to the Associated Press. Nathan was entering the final year of his current deal, which would have paid him $6 million in 2008. He has posted an ERA of 1.94 and 160 saves in four seasons with Minnesota.

Miguel Cabrera and the Tigers reached a preliminary agreement Saturday on an eight-year, $153.3M contract extension, a source close to Cabrera told ESPNdeportes.com on condition of anonymity. The third baseman will undergo a physical on Monday to complete the deal, the source said. The contract is the richest in the Tigers' history. Magglio Ordonez had the previous record when he signed with Detroit for $75M and five years in 2004. RealGM Note: Cabrera 'deserved' to make $10.04 million in 2007 and had a Reina Value of +36%. He has been amongst the league leaders since his 2002 call-up and certainly warrants an annual contract in the $19 million-$21 million range.

The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to terms with starting pitcher Kyle Lohse on a one-year deal worth $4.2 million, according to the Belleville News-Democrat. The deal will become official on Friday once Lohse passes a mandatory physical examination. "He has a good arm. I've always felt that," Duncan said. "I think I need to do a little bit of analysis on his style and see if there's something there that he might work on to improve his success. But there's physically something there to work with. We'll see how it goes. We're happy to have him."

Armando Benitez will attempt to salvage his career with the Blue Jays. Benitez and the Blue Jays agreed to terms Tuesday on a minor league contract, as reported by Yahoo.com. Once considered one of baseball?s most dominant closers, Benitez has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency over the last three seasons.

The Nationals renewed the contract of young third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Saturday, according to MLB.com. Zimmerman will make $465,000 in 2008, but the two parties will continue to discuss a long-term deal to keep him in Washington.

The Cardinals have signed pitcher Adam Wainwright to a one-year contract, according to WQAD in St. Louis. The deal will pay him $438,000 if he makes the team and roughly half if he gets sent to the minors.