The Washington Nationals have agreed to sign catcher Matt Wieters on Tuesday. 

Wieters and the Nationals came to terms on a two-year, $21 million contract that includes an opt-out after this season. Wieters will earn $10.5 million each year, effectively making it a one-year deal if he decides to opt-out. 

The contract includes deferrals, so $5 million of his earnings will not come until 2021. 

The Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles announced a trade on Friday. 

Seattle acquired right-handed starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo from Baltimore in exchange for outfielder Seth Smith. To help pay Gallardo's contract, it is expected that Seattle will recieve about $2 million in the deal. 

The trade fills theoretical needs for both sides. The Mariners have been looking for a back-of-the-rotation starter with some upside like Gallardo, while the Orioles have searched for a corner hitting outfielder with some power, and Smith certainly fits the bill. 

The Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres are discussing a potential blockbuster trade on Friday, according to reports. 

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the teams are forming a trade that would send outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. to Baltimore in exchange for starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. 

The trade, according to Rosenthal, is not yet close. The Padres, who would save money in the trade by dumping Upton's contract, also want a prospect from Baltimore. It appears that things still have to be ironed out before a deal gets completed. 

The 31-year-old Upton is enjoying a bounce-back year in San Diego. He is hitting .260/.309/.448 with 16 home runs and 44 RBI in 365 plate appearances, posting a 1.6 fWAR, making him a valuable option in Baltimore's outfield if he ultimately gets traded.

For the Padres, trading Upton would result in huge payroll savings, as he's signed through 2017 and is expected to make $16.45 million next season. 

At the moment, the Orioles need some help in left field, where Julio Borbon is currently positioned. He has a career 76 wRC+. 

As for Jimenez, the 32-year-old has had a tough year. He's 5-9 with a 7.38 ERA and a 72 to 50 strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.89 FIP) in 81 2/3 innings pitched (18 games; 17 starts). Jimenez, an All-Star when he was with the Rockies in 2010, is signed through 2017 and will make $13.5 million next year. 

It seems possible that the Padres could get cash relief to help pay for Jimenez's contract to further the savings that they will create in this trade.

Stay tuned as the story develops.  

--Devan Fink 

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce was thought to have been a huge trade chip last season as a left-handed, power hitting outfielder that came with a year-and-a-half of team control. 

Aug. 1 came and Jay Bruce was still a Red. 

But this season, Bruce has an even higher chance to be traded. The Reds are 34-58, sitting in last in the NL Central and are in full rebuild-mode. Bruce is a free agent at the end of the season, finishing off of a six-year, $51 million contract. And teams need him. 

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, six teams have already checked in on Bruce. These are the Indians, Rangers, Nationals, Orioles, Giants and Dodgers. The Blue Jays have also reportedly shown interest in Bruce. 

In addition, all six of these teams have been in the markets for other outfielders such as Ryan Braun, Josh Reddick and perhaps even Carlos Gonzalez. 

The 29-year-old Bruce was picked by the Reds in the 1st round (12th overall) in the 2005 MLB Draft and has been a staple in their lineup ever since coming up to the Major Leagues. 

The three-time All-Star (including 2016) is a defensive liability, however, many teams value offensive contributions, especially on the left-handed side of the plate. 

This season, Bruce is hitting .265/.317/.532 with 18 home runs and 64 RBI over 353 plate appearances in 86 games. Though according to FanGraphs, Bruce has only been worth 0.1 Wins Above Replacement. 

This is because of his defense. Bruce has an awful -20.6 ultimate zone rating per 150 games (UZR/150), meaning that he would be almost 21 runs worse than the average right fielder in terms of range and making defensive plays. 

Over his career, Bruce has always been an offense-first player, carrying a .249/.319/.467 line with 226 home runs and 644 RBI in parts of nine seasons. His career wRC+ of 107 suggests that he has been seven percent better offensively than the league-average hitter. This year, his wRC+ is 118. 

As the Aug. 1 trade deadline quickly approaches, it's more than likely Jay Bruce will find himself in a new home. 

​--Devan Fink

Free-agent right-hander Tim Lincecum will host a tryout for interested teams on Friday in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. 

Lincecum, a four-time All-Star, has been rehabbing his hip in Arizona. He had surgery on it in September 2015. 

He pitched last season with the San Francisco Giants, making 15 starts before his ailment. In those appearances, Lincecum went 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA and a 60 to 38 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 76 1/3 innings pitched. 

According to FanGraphs, Lincecum was worth 0.3 Wins Above Replacement and posted a 4.29 FIP and a 4.64 xFIP. 

According to Heyman, the Giants, San Diego Padres, and Baltimore Orioles will be among the approximately 20 teams to attend his showcase. 

Heyman had previously reported that the Giants would be interested in Lincecum in the past, but only as a reliever, with the starting rotation being a strength for the team. 

The teams that will be at Lincecum's showcase will want to see if he still has anything left in him. Not only a four-time All-Star, Lincecum also won back-to-back NL Cy Young awards in 2008 and 2009 as one of the best young starters in the game. 

During a four-year stretch from 2008 to 2011, the now-31-year-old Lincecum posted a 2.81 ERA and 977 to 314 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 881 2/3 innings pitched. 

Since, Lincecum has not been the same, losing life on his fastball that once could reach the 98 to 99 mile per hour (mph) mark. His strikeout rate has gone with it, and he has a 4.68 ERA in the past four seasons. 

--Devan Fink