Catcher John Buck, formerly of Kansas City, signed a one-year deal with Toronto on Sunday, thus becoming the first "name" player to move elsewhere after being non-tendered at Saturday night's deadline.

Several other suddenly free players chose to stay at home, re-upping with their 2009 clubs even though they had been shown the door via lack of a contract offer for 2010. Pitcher Scott Olsen reportedly took a one-year, $1M offer from the Nationals. And the Indians brought back non-tendered pitchers Adam Miller and Anthony Reyes, who both accepted minor league deals to remain in the Cleveland organization after being cut loose on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Rays spent the weekend signing relief pitchers, coming to terms with pitchers Grant Balfour, Lance Cormier, and Randy Choate.

Finally, in a rare example of candor in Major League Baseball's corporatized, spin-cycle world, Pittsburgh General Manager Neal Huntington explained the Bucs' reasoning in detail to MLB.com reporter Jenifer Langosch. According to Huntington, all prospects of trading the Pirates' closer vanished when a report circulated at the Winter Meetings that the club was considering non-tendering Capps. You can find the explanation at the link below.

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Four of the top five picks of the 1975 draft were Mike Lentz, Les Filkins, Brian Rosinski, and Richard O'Keefe, none of whom ever made it to the major leagues. This second-round flamethrower would have been a much better choice, as he enjoyed a career that spanned 18 seasons in the bigs.

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A total of 39 players were non-tendered by their respective teams before the midnight Eastern Time Saturday deadline. Six teams offered arbitration to all of their remaining eligible players: the Astros, the Cardinals, the Dodgers, the Tigers, the Twins, and the Rangers.

A list of those who are now free agents after not being offered contracts by their 2009 clubs include Chien-Ming Wang, Garrett Atkins, Matt Capps, Alfredo Amezaga, and Ryan Church. A full list of those freed to test the market due to non-tenders may be found at this link:

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After breaking in with the Cubs, he would ultimately spend time with seven other teams.

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Japanese baseball writer Rob Fitts has a new book coming out from the University of Nebraska. According to Fitts' Web site, Banzai Babe Ruth!: Baseball Diplomacy and Fanaticism in Imperial Japan is the story of the doomed attempt to reconcile the United States and Japan though the tour of Major League all stars in 1934...The story contains international diplomacy, espionage, attempted murder and, of course, baseball."

Gotta love all that. Check it out at the link below, where you can also check out Rob Fitts' other works, including his fine biography of Wally Yonamine. Fitts will be appearing in New York City in February to speak about his book.
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He currently ranks second all-time in games finished and third in career saves.
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The Baseball Early Bird is a free daily newsletter published jointly by the two leaders in the field of baseball reference: Sports Reference LLC--which produces Baseball-Reference.com--and 24-7 Baseball, L.L.C.--which produces the ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia and the ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia.

Gary Gillette who, as of today, hasn't been a free agent for 35 years, edited and contributed to this issue. He is the Early Bird's Executive Editor and Co-Publisher.

Frank Kras, who wrote today's issue, is technically a free agent--so you may send him job offers.

Sean Forman is the Early Bird's technical guru, Co-Publisher, and the newest member of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Feel free to send us your comments, suggestions and criticism. E-mail the Early Bird.
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Lee Arthur Smith was born on December 4, 1957 in Jamestown, Louisiana. On this date in 1994, he signed a free-agent contract with the California Angels.

Smith saw something of a circuitous route in making it to the major leagues. After being signed by the Cubs out of high school at the urging of Buck O'Neil, he meandered through five seasons in the minors as a starter, walking far more hitters than he struck out.

While pitching for the Cubs' Double-A affiliate, manager Randy Hundley sent Smith to the bullpen in an attempt to straighten him out. Smith resisted the move, at one point enrolling at Northwestern State University in Louisiana to try his hand at college basketball.

Another beloved ex-Cubs player, Billy Williams, convinced Smith to return to the mound, and the hard-thrower debuted in Chicago at the end of the 1980 season. Coincidentally, that was the last year closer Bruce Sutter spent with the Bruins. Although Smith started five games in 1982, he was established as the closer by 1982. Beginning in 1983, the righty reliever averaged just over 32 saves per season for the Baby Bruins through 1987.

Despite their closer notching his best save total yet with 36 in 1987, the Cubs dealt Smith to the Red Sox for Al Nipper and Calvin Schiraldi prior to the 1988 season. Once the Beaneaters signed veteran closer Jeff Reardon in 1990, Smith's days with the BoSox were numbered, and in May of that year he was shipped to St. Louis for outfielder Tom Brunansky.

Smith enjoyed some of his best years in the Arch City, reeling off seasons with 47, 43, and 43 saves. His skills were apparently starting to slip, however, as he coughed up 11 homers in just 50 innings during his 1993 stint with the Redbirds. Late in the season, the club sent him east to the Yankees, who granted him free agency at the end of the season.

After two respectable years as closer with the Orioles and Angels, age and injuries caught up with the towering fireballer. After short stints with the Reds and Expos, his major league career was over after 1,022 appearances and 478 saves.

Despite his impressive numbers, Smith has not yet managed to pile up the votes needed for induction into the Hall of Fame, inching up ever so slowly to 44.5% in the 2009 balloting. He has likely been hurt by his playing for so many teams as well as by the fact that he never appeared in a World Series.

Since retiring, Smith has served as a minor league pitching instructor for the Giants and also as pitching instructor for the South African team in 2006 in the World Baseball Classic.
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