Justin Duchscherer
Although he’s battled both injury and depression, Justin Duchscherer is a two-time All-Star who could once again reach that level — and he won’t demand a huge contract.

Carlos Delgado
Another guy coming off an injury, Carlos Delgado had 38 homers and 115 homers in 2008. At 37, he may have another year or two of top-level play.

Ryota Igarashi
A pitcher in the Japanese leagues, Ryoto Igarashi has a blazing fastball and very good splitter. He’d help any team’s bullpen right away.

Darren Oliver
Darren Oliver has become an extremely effective reliever. The former starter has been very good over the last two years with the Angels. He’s not a closer but he’s a lefty who can be very valuable in 50 to 60 outings.

Darren Oliver would help your team (Image: Zuma Press)

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The last four seasons, the native of the Dominican Republic played with the Detroit Tigers. Last year, Polanco hit .285 with ten homers, 72 RBIs and 82 runs. The previous two seasons, he hit .341 and .307, respectively.

This will be a homecoming for Polanco, who played for the Phillies from 2003 until the middle of the 2005 season. His two seasons with the most homers in his career came in 2003 (14) and 2004 (17).

The addition of Polanco gives the Phillies a player who can work the count and hit a lot of balls into play. When compared to Feliz, Polanco strikes out dramatically less. Feliz is the better defender and had more power but the Phillies apparently think Polanco is the better fit.

Placido Polanco signed with the Philadelphia Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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The 38-year-old Wagner will be Atlanta’s closer for the 2010 baseball season. Last year, he played 17 games with the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. He finished with an ERA of 1.72 and in 15.2 innings of work he gave up only eight hits wile striking out 26 batters.

For the 2009 baseball season, the Braves used Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez at closer. With both currently free agents, the move to sign Wagner means that both players will likely sign elsewhere.

This move comes with a bit of risk since Wagner had Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2008 season. If he reinjures his elbow, the Braves will be in a world of hurt.

According to multiple reports, the Braves hold a $6.5 million option for the 2011 season. Wagner will be owed $250,000 if the Braves decline the option.

Billy Wagner will be the Atlanta Braves closer (Image: Zuma Press)

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In 2008, Shoppach was impressive at the plate. He hit 21 homers, knocked in 55 runs and scored 67 times in only 352 at-bats. But last season, Shoppach struggled as he played in only 89 games. In those contests, he hit .214 with 12 homers, 40 RBIs and 33 runs.

The 29-year-old catcher is regarded as an average behind the plate and slightly above average when it comes to calling games. With the wood, Shoppach hits for power but also strikes out a lot.

Going into the 2009 campaign, the Rays were very confident in Dioner Navarro at catcher. But he struggled mightily at the plate and there were questions about his dedication and his physical shape. Now the Rays at least have competition for Navarro, who is eligible for arbitration.

Kelly Shoppach was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays (Image: Zuma Press)

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Why would the Marlins have to trade one of their best players? Economics. He’s two years away from being a free agent and with the Marlins unable to reach a contract agreement with Johnson, they don’t have much of a choice. If they were to put him out on the open market, Florida would have plenty of teams interested.

Last season, Johnson was 15-5 with a 3.32 ERA. In 209 innings of work, he gave up 184 hits while striking out 191 batters. In his career, which began in 2005, he has a record of 34-16 to go along with an ERA of 3.40. There aren’t many pitchers that can match that resume at that career stage — especially considering he plays for a small market team.

What the Marlins may do is head into next season with Johnson on their roster. At the trade deadline, the team could trade him if the playoffs are no longer an option. If the playoffs are an option, they may decide to keep him — for at least the rest of the season. But no matter the plan, Florida will want to either sign him to an extension or eventually trade him before he becomes a free agent.

Josh Johnson - Florida Marlins (Image: Zuma Press)

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In 144 games, Scutaro set career-highs in batting average (.282), on-base percentage (.379), slugging percentage (.409), homers (12), RBIs (60), runs (100), doubles (35), walks (90) and stolen bases (14). That was an impressive feat considering that he’s gotten regular at-bats the previous five seasons.

Although he was primarily a shortstop for the Blue Jays, he’s able to play multiple positions. As a result, certain teams are going after him with the idea that he’ll be a full-time player at a different position — such as third base.

Teams interesting in Scutaro include the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox. Even though he’s 34, Scutaro is likely to get a multi-year deal worth a good amount of money. It’ll be interesting to see if the native of Venezuela can build off his career year.

Marco Scutaro will be a sought after free agent (Image: Zuma Press)

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The good news is that the Philadelphia Phillies are saying that Moyer doesn’t have any serious medical conditions.

“He’s quite fine,” said Michael Ciccotti to MLB.com, the team’s physician. “He’s walking. He’s eating. He’s completely comfortable and fine.”

After a fantastic 2008 campaign, Moyer wasn’t as sharp in 2009. He had a 4.94 ERA with a record of 12-10. Following Philadelphia’s signing of Pedro Martinez, Moyer was moved to the bullpen.

The 47-year-old Moyer is the older player in all of baseball. He’s under contract for next season. That said, these latest medical issues have to put his baseball future under question. The team still insists that Moyer should be ready for spring training, however a retirement announcement wouldn’t be too surprising.

Jamie Moyer was hospitalized on Wednesday (Image: Zuma Press)

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Albert Pujols won the NL MVP award (Image: Zuma Press)

Pujols, who won the award unanimously, had very good stats across the board. He hit .327 with an on-base percentage of .443 and an OPS of 1.101. He totaled 47 homers, 135 RBIs, 124 runs, 45 doubles and 16 stolen bases.

Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins finished second in the MVP balloting, while Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies finished third and Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers finish fourth.

The last player to unanimously win an MVP award was Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997. In the National League, it was Ken Caminiti in 1996.

If you missed it, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins won the AL MVP.

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Last season, Vizquel played a bench role with the Texas Rangers. In 177 at-bats, the native of Venezuela hit .266 with one homer, 14 RBIs and 17 runs. With the White Sox, Vizquel will continue play a utility role — likely spending time at shortstop, third base and second base.

The veteran won’t hesitate helping out the younger players on the roster.

Said Vizquel: “I look at myself as a mentor to some other guys. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. I’ve always been there for younger guys.”

Vizquel’s deal is believed to be worth around $1.4 million.

“I feel pretty comfortable that I can do the job in the field,” said Vizquel, “that I can still run and hit and do everything that a major league player is asked to do.”

Omar Vizquel signs with the White Sox (Image: Zuma Press)

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Randy and Alan Hendricks are Chapman’s agents. The Hendricks brothers are known for representing a number of players including Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees.

Why Chapman decided to switch agents has been made public. That said, it probably boils down to one thing: money. Going with veteran agents with established relationships with teams should hypothetically allow Chapman to cash in.

Chapman’s main selling points: He’s a lefty. He can throw over 100 MPH. Those two things combined will make him an overnight millionaire. The only question is how many millions.

Earlier this month, we looked at Aroldis Chapman potential destinations. Take a look to see if your favorite team is on the list.

Aroldis Chapman went big time (Image: Zuma Press)

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