Rangers’ Jurickson Profar to begin throwing program Monday
by Sean d’Oliveira | CBSSports.com

(1:21 pm ET) Rangers second baseman Jurickson Profar is set to begin his throwing program Monday, reports ESPN.com.

Profar missed the entire 2014 season after suffering a torn muscle in his right shoulder. Profar opted to rehab the shoulder instead of surgery.

“I just want to play,” Profar said. “Last year was a terrible year. I don’t know how I made it, but I did.”

In 2013, Profar hit .234 with six home runs and 26 RBI in 286 at-bats. He said he anticipates it will be a struggle during the initial stages of his comeback.

“A lot of my teammates tell me it’s hard to come back in the beginning,” Profar said. “It’s the big leagues so you have to prepare yourself, but I’m ready for anything.”

Nationals deal with Max Scherzer for $210M, half deferred
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(11:49 am ET) Starting pitcher Max Scherzer‘s seven-year deal with the Nationals is worth $210 million, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman. However, half of the money is deferred.

Scherzer will receive $105 million from 2015-21 and another $105 million from 2022-28.

The Nationals offer ended up being $66 million more than the seven-year offer the Tigers made to Scherzer last spring. The deferrals make the value less than $210 million, but there is no income tax for non-residents in Washington D.C., according to Heyman.

Scherzer is headed back to the NL after spending the last five seasons pitching in the AL for the Tigers. The two-time All-Star is 91-50 with a 3.58 ERA in seven MLB seasons. Scherzer, who won the AL Cy Young in 2013, is set to join a Nationals rotation that features Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez.

Astros trade Dexter Fowler to Cubs for Dan Straily, Luis Valbuena
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

(11:18 am ET) The Astros traded outfielder Dexter Fowler to the Cubs on Monday in exchange for starting pitcher Dan Straily and infielder Luis Valbuena.

The 28-year-old Fowler spent just one season with the Astros after being acquired in a Dec. 2013 trade with the Rockies. He is in his final year of arbitration after making $7.35 million in 2014. Fowler has a career .271/366/.419/.786 slash line over seven MLB seasons. He has a career .136 average (3 for 22) in nine career games at Wrigley Field.

The 26-year-old Straily is on the move again after Chicago acquired him in a July trade with Oakland. Straily is 13-12 with a 4.54 ERA in 48 MLB appearances (42 starts).

The 29-year-old Valbuena has spent the last three seasons with the Cubs. He hit .249 with a career-best 16 home runs, 33 doubles and 55 RBI in 149 games in 2014. He has a career .229 average over seven MLB seasons with the Mariners, Indians and Cubs.

Cubs close to acquiring Dexter Fowler from Astros
by Sean d’Oliveira | CBSSports.com

(11:02 am ET) The Cubs are on the verge of acquiring outfielder Dexter Fowler from the Astros on Monday, confirms CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

The Cubs will send pitcher Dan Straily and third baseman Luis Valbuena to the Astros to complete the deal, reports Yahoo Sports.

Fowler is in his last year of arbitration eligibility and could receive more than $9 million. In 2014, Fowler hit .276 with eight home runs and 35 RBI in 434 at-bats.

Nationals sign pitcher Max Scherzer to a seven-year deal
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com

(12:10 am ET) The Nationals have signed pitcher Max Scherzer to a seven-year deal, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

Reports broke early on Sunday that the market was heating up for Scherzer, and the Nationals were mentioned as a possible landing spot. While Scherzer was expected to receive a massive contract on the market, the terms of his seven-year deal are not known at this time. The 30-year-old Scherzer is coming off a season in which he posted a 3.15 ERA over 220 1/3 innings.

With the signing, Scherzer will join Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister in the team’s rotation. Tanner Roark would also be in the mix for the rotation, but has less experience than the players ahead of him. 

Scherzer was considered the best player left on the free-agent market. 

Marlins sign Don Kelly to minor-league deal
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com

(1/18/2015) The Marlins have signed outfielder Don Kelly to a minor-league deal, according to the Detroit Free Press. 

The 34-year-old Kelly hit .245/.332/.288 over 163 at-bats with Detroit last season. The deal includes an invitation to spring training.

Report: Dodgers sign Erik Bedard to minor-league deal
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com

(1/18/2015) The Dodgers have signed pitcher Erik Bedard to a minor-league deal, according to MLB.com.

The 35-year-old pitched in 17 games with the Rays last season, posting a 4.76 ERA over 75 2/3 innings. He was released by the club in August, and was not picked up. The lefty has a career 3.99 ERA over 1303 2/3 innings. 

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha ready to get back on the mound
by Brandon Wise | CBSSports.com

(1/18/2015) Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha is ready to get back on the field. Mostly because he’s been asked about his status “just a couple million times,” according to The Associated Press.

With the Cardinals expecting Wacha to be able to handle a larger role on the pitching staff this season, the 23-year-old said Sunday he is optimistic he can handle it.

“Everything’s been feeling good this offseason with my workouts, my training, my throwing program,” Wacha said. “It’s an exciting time for sure, feeling good and strong and excited about spring training coming up.”

Wacha was restricted near the end of the season with a shoulder injury, which allowed him to make just four starts and last longer than five innings once. He also gave up the game-winning home run to the Giants in the NLCS.

“I wanted to be out there in that situation,” Wacha said. “As a competitor, that’s when you want to be out there, when the game’s on the line and everyone’s depending on you.”

Nationals sign Kila Ka’aihue to a minor-league deal
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com

(1/18/2015) The Nationals have signed first baseman Kila Ka’aihue to a minor-league deal, according to MLB.com.

Ka’aihue hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2012, and spent the past year and a half in Japan. The 30-year-old owns a career .221/.305/.382 slash line over 411 major-league at-bats. 

Report: Nationals have discussed Jordan Zimmermann trade
by Chris Cwik | CBSSports.com

(1/18/2015) The Nationals have had conversations with other clubs regarding pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, according to FoxSports.com.

Zimmermann is only under contract for one more season, and it’s unclear if the Nationals will be able to sign him to a long-term deal. General manager Mike Rizzo met with Zimmermann’s representatives at the winter meetings, but things have been quiet since then. Zimmermann told The Washington Post in December that he was willing to sign with the Nationals, but only if the offer was “fair.” 

The 28-year-old Zimmermann posted a 2.66 ERA over 199 2/3 innings last year.