Phillies pick up Ruiz's option; Giants decline Huff

• The Diamondbacks declined options on catcher Henry Blanco and reliever Matt Lindstrom
• The Phillies picked up the option on Carlos Ruiz but declined the option on Placido Polanco
• The Giants declined to pick up the $10 million option on Aubrey Huff

Free agency begins at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday, as more than 100 players hit the open market. A few wrinkles and facts to know as baseball's feeding frenzy commences:

— Qualifying offers: As part of the latest collective bargaining agreement, teams no longer receive draft pick compensation for departed free agents. That is, unless they make a qualifying offer — due today — to their free agents. The offer must be a one-year deal for $13.3 million, which is the average of the top 125 salaries this season. For example: The Texas Rangers certainly will make an offer to outfielder Josh Hamilton, as it would be a prudent deal were he to accept. It's unlikely they would tender such an offer to reliever Mike Adams.

— Calendar: The general managers meetings — traditionally a chance to lay groundwork for transactions — begin Wednesday in Palm Desert, Calif. The winter meetings are Dec. 3-6 in Nashville.

— The market: Hamilton heads the list of available position players, and Los Angeles Angels starter Zack Greinke is the top pitcher available.

A look at some of Friday's signings and waivers:

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks have declined a $1.25 million option for next season on catcher Henry Blanco and a $4 million option on right-handed reliever Matt Lindstrom.

The 41-year-old Blanco hit .188 with a homer and seven RBI in 21 games as Miguel Montero's backup with the Diamondbacks last season. He signed with Arizona in 2011 and has played 14 seasons with eight teams.

Lindstrom had a 2.53 ERA in 12 games with the Diamondbacks after arriving in a trade that sent Joe Saunders to Baltimore. The 32-year-old became expendable when the Diamondbacks picked up closer J.J. Putz's $6.5 million option last month and traded for right-handed reliever Heath Bell.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves re-acquired outfielder Jordan Schafer on Thursday by claiming him off waivers from the Houston Astros.

Schafer, who hit 211 with 27 stolen bases in 106 games for the Astros last season, spent 6½ years in the Braves' organization before getting dealt to Houston in July 2011.

He was part of the trade that brought center fielder and leadoff hitter Michael Bourn to Atlanta before the 2011 trade deadline.

Bourn, who stole 42 bases for the Braves last year, is expected to draw considerable interest from other teams as a free agent,

Atlanta is not exercising a $7 million option on third baseman Chipper Jones, who retired after Atlanta lost to St. Louis in a wild-card game.

The Braves also said catcher J.C. Boscan and pitchers Erik Cordier and Robert Fish were sent outright to the minors and that Boscan refused the assignment and elected free agency.

Colorado Rockies

Lefty Jorge De La Rosa has exercised his $11 million player option for 2013, the final year in a three-year, $33 million contract.

Elbow surgery sidelined him for much of the last two seasons, but De La Rosa is a big part of the Rockies' plans to rebuild the worst rotation in team history.

After winning 16 games in 2010, De La Rosa was the Rockies' ace in 2011 before tearing an elbow ligament May 24. He wanted to return early last season but suffered a setback when his elbow stiffened up during his rehab last summer.He ended up making three September starts, hitting 94 mph with his fastball but he was rusty, posting a 9.28 ERA in 10 2/3 innings.

Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have declined their $4 million mutual option on catcher Chris Snyder.

The 31-year-old, who gets a $500,000 buyout, played 76 games for Houston in 2012 and hit .176 with seven homers and 24 RBI.

He batted .271 with three homers and 17 RBI in 34 games for Pittsburgh before season-ending surgery on his lower back in June 2011.

Snyder played for Arizona from 2004 until joining the Pirates in 2010. He has 77 homers, 297 RBI and a .225 average in his big league career.

In other moves Thursday, the Astros claimed right-hander Sam Demel and infielder Jake Elmore off waivers from Arizona.

Left-handers Fernando Abad and Sergio Escalona, right-handers Edgar Gonzalez, Jose Valdez and Kyle Weiland, and infielder Matt Downs were sent outright to Class AAA Oklahoma City.

Abad, Downs, Escalona, Gonzalez and Valdez all became free agents.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers have outrighted outfielder Nyjer Morgan to Class AAA Nashville.

Morgan hit .304 while helping Milwaukee win the NL Central in 2011, but slumped to .239 this year and the Brewers failed to make the playoffs. He is a .280 career hitter over six seasons with Pittsburgh, Washington and Milwaukee.

Milwaukee also announced Thursday that right-hander Jose Veras declined his assignment to Nashville and decided to become a free agent. Veras was 5-4 with a save and a 3.63 ERA in 72 appearances for the Brewers this season.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies picked up the $5 million 2013 option on catcher Carlos Ruiz and declined options on utility man Ty Wigginton and reliever Jose Contreras. Contreras was owed $2.5 million and Wigginton was due $4 million. Each player received a $500,000 buyout.

Philadelphia also declined a $5.5 million option on third baseman Placido Polanco, who gets a $1 million buyout.

Outfielder Juan Pierre and catcher Brian Schneider became free agents

Coming off a fantastic season where he hit .325 with 16 homers and 68 RBI, Ruiz was rewarded as the Phillies try and move past last season's disappointment of missing the playoffs, ending their five-year run as the NL East champions.

Ruiz was a beacon of hope throughout the season to forget. He posted career highs in average, home runs, RBI, hits (121) and doubles (32).

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are parting ways with Aubrey Huff, declining to exercise his $10 million club option Thursday after two disappointing seasons following a big year during the 2010 World Series championship run.

A day after the Giants celebrated their second title in three years with a lavish parade through downtown, vice president of baseball operations Bobby Evans made the announcement regarding Huff — though it hardly came as a surprise. Huff will receive a $2 million buyout as part of the $22 million, two-year contract he signed in November 2010.

He batted .192 with a home run and seven RBI in 52 games during an injury-plagued year.

In 2010, Huff hit .290 with a team-leading 26 home runs and 86 RBI while playing in 157 games, then starred during the postseason.

Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers have claimed catcher Konrad Schmidt off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The 28-year-old Schmidt played in four games for the Diamondbacks last season and spent the rest of the year at Class AAA Reno, batting .277 with seven home runs, 24 doubles and 47 RBI in 93 games. He threw out 14 of 55 attempted base stealers, a 25.6 percent rate that was fifth-best in the Pacific Coast League.

In eight career major league games, Schmidt is 1 for 15 with two RBI. The Ranges have added him to their 40-man roster, which now stands at 34 players.