Blue Jays finalize five-year deal with catcher Russell Martin
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(10:51 am ET) The Blue Jays officially announced Tuesday the signing of catcher Russell Martin to a five-year, $82 million contract. It is the largest free-agent contract during general manager Alex Anthopoulos’ tenure with Toronto, according to the team’s official website.

The breakdown of Martin’s contract will be $7 million in the first year, $15 million in the second year and $20 million in each of the remaining three seasons, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

The 31-year-old catcher hit .290 with a .402 on-base percentage, .430 slugging percentage and .832 OPS in 111 games for Pittsburgh in 2014. The Blue Jays will be Martin’s fourth MLB team. He played for the Dodgers, Yankees and Pirates over his first nine seasons in the majors.

Report: Braves to meet with free agent SP Jon Lester on Thursday
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(10:42 am ET) Free agent starting pitcher Jon Lester will meet with the Braves on Thursday, according to FOX Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal.

The three-time All-Star was 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA in 32 starts between the Red Sox and Athletics in 2014. He is 116-67 with a 3.58 ERA in his nine-year MLB career.

Report: Royals, Rangers interested in trading for Ian Kennedy
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(10:14 am ET) The Royals and Rangers are two teams believed to be showing interest in trading for Padres starting pitcher Ian Kennedy, according to FOX Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal. However, the Royals might not be a strong trade candidate because the Padres are looking for help on offense.

Report: Cruz, Kemp, Upton higher targets for M’s than Ramirez
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(10:03 am ET) While the Mariners look to add a right-handed hitter to their lineup, it appears they are more interested in signing free agent Nelson Cruz or trading for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp than signing free agent Hanley Ramirez, according to FOX Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal. Braves outfielder Justin Upton also appears to be higher on the Mariners’ wish list than Ramirez.

Gonzalez: B.J. Upton open to ‘complete reconstruction of swing’
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(9:58 am ET) Although Braves outfielder B.J. Upton has been mentioned in trade rumors, the team is preparing for the scenario Upton remains on the roster in 2015. Manager Fredi Gonzalez seems optimistic the team can get Upton on the right track after his first two seasons in Atlanta have been disappointing.

“We need to get better with B.J. in center field,” Gonzalez told MLB Network Radio on Tuesday. “(Hitting coach) Kevin Seitzer is optimistic and B.J. is open to anything, including complete reconstruction of swing.”

Since joining Atlanta in 2013 on a five-year contract, Upton is batting .198 with a .279 on-base percentage, .314 slugging percentage and .593 OPS in 267 games. He hit .255 with a .336 on-base percentage, .422 slugging percentage and .758 OPS in his first eight seasons with the Rays.

Blue Jays being ‘very aggressive’ in pursuit of Andrew Miller
by Larry Hartstein | CBSSports.com

(11/17/2014) The Blue Jays are being “very aggressive” in their pursuit of Orioles reliever Andrew Miller, reports Sportsnet. Miller went 5-5 with a 2.02 ERA in 62 1/3 innings as a setup man and figures to be a closer in 2015.

Athletics claim outfielder Alex Hassan off waivers
by Sean d’Oliveira | CBSSports.com

(11/17/2014) The Athletics claimed outfielder Alex Hassan off waivers from the Red Sox Monday, the team announced.

In three games during the 2014 season, Hassan hit .125.

Nationals re-sign Matt Purke to minor-league contract
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(11/17/2014) The Nationals re-signed pitcher Matt Purke to a minor-league contract Monday, which includes an invite to major-league spring training. Purke is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery in May.

“We are excited to keep Matt in the organization and to keep his rehab on track,” Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager Mike Rizzo said. “We look forward to seeing him rebound from his surgery during the upcoming season.”

Marlins trying to work out new deals for Yelich, Hechavarria
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(11/17/2014) Now that the Marlins have signed star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to a long-term deal, the team is still trying to sign shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria and outfielder Christian Yelich to multiyear deals, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

As far as outfielder Marcell Ozuna and starting pitcher Jose Fernandez are concerned, however, it appears it could be a little more difficult to work out contract extensions, especially for Fernandez.

Reds release minor-league reliever Carlos Marmol
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(11/17/2014) The Reds announced Monday they released minor-league reliever Carlos Marmol, according to MLB.com. The move comes a few months after Marmol left the team’s Triple-A affiliate.

Marmol signed with Cincinnati in late May and made three appearances for Louisville before returning home to the Dominican Republic without permission from the club.