Brett Myers Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Oswalt, Delmon, Sizemore, Ross, Ludwick

Here's the latest from the Winter Meetings on a handful of free agents:

• Roy Oswalt is unsure about whether he'll pitch in 2013, one of his agents tells Morosi.
• The Mariners checked in on Delmon Young, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Morosi reported previously that Young might wait until January to sign given his November ankle surgery.
• Grady Sizemore had been drawing interest from a few clubs, including the Red Sox, but he won't be a real option until midseason, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.  Agent Joe Urbon confirmed to Castrovince that his client underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee in September.
• Besides being interested in Scott Hairston, the Yankees are also eyeing Cody Ross, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
• The Mariners have checked in on Ryan Ludwick, among other hitters, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
• Cesar Izturis' reps are expected to meet with the Mets this week and there could be a match there, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

Earlier updates:

• The Orioles' interest in righty Brett Myers appears minimal, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, and they have no meetings set up with his reps.
• The Twins are one team with early interest in southpaw John Lannan, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  The Pirates also have an eye on Lannan, reported Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review earlier today.
• The Cubs are talking to many agents about bullpen help and they like Jason Grilli, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.
• Solid interest in Jason Bay (from teams other than Boston) may lead to a Major League deal, tweets Rob Bradford of WEEI.  
• The Marlins are interested in utility man Mark DeRosa, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The 37-year-old had indicated at season's end that he was unsure what his future held.
• The Royals are "sending out signals" that they have the money and the motivation to pursue a pitcher who could be considered a No. 1, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. A run at Anibal Sanchez isn't out of the question for Kansas City, according to Knobler.
• Tigers people continue to say the team isn't even considering Rafael Soriano, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. However, Sherman notes that owner Mike Ilitch's great relationship with Scott Boras still makes Detroit a wild card in the Soriano sweepstakes.
• Rival executives view the Nationals as a good fit for Mike Pelfrey, especially considering GM Mike Rizzo and Scott Boras have a history of working out deals, says Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitterlinks).
• Teams are showing "no hesitation whatsoever" in pursuing Jeff Keppinger, who underwent surgery to repair a right fibula fracture, agent Keith Grunewald tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitterlinks).
• Jason Giambi would like to continue his playing career, and is drawing interest from three or four teams, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

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Blanton, Correia, Myers On Twins' Radar

While the top options on the free agent market may be out of the Twins' price range the club's search for pitching has Minnesota eyeing Joe Blanton as a "prime target," according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Kevin Correia and Brett Myers are also on the team's radar, Crasnick reports.

In addition to those three names, recently non-tendered pitchers like Mike Pelfrey, John Lannan, and others could interest the Twins, according to Crasnick. Vicente Padilla has also drawn a little interest from Minnesota.

Although the Twins seem to be looking at plenty of pitching options in free agency, the team has also been more active in trade talks than expected, says Crasnick. Teams with pitchers on the block have approached the Twins about both Ben Revere and Josh Willingham.

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Quick Hits: Stanton, Jones, Hanrahan, Rodney

Let's take a quick look around the league for a few of the morning's odds and ends out of Nashville....

• Giancarlo Stanton remains unhappy with the direction of the Marlins, agent Joel Wolfe tells Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). "It wasn't a reaction," Wolfe said, referring to Stanton's post-trade tweet last month. "It's a state of mind." Wolfe declined comment when asked if Stanton has requested a trade, according to Heyman (Twitter link).
• The Orioles may have some interest in Garrett Jones and could dangle pitching in trade talks with the Pirates, says Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Biertempfel adds within the same blog post that at least two American League teams weren't interested when the Pirates came to them to discuss Joel Hanrahan. According to Biertempfel, there are some concerns about Hanrahan's physical conditioning and his late-season performance in 2012.
• The Indians had been "seriously interested" in James Loney before he signed with the Rays, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
• Fernando Rodney, who will be a free agent next winter, has switched agents, leaving ACES and hiring Dan Lozano, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
• The Royals' interest in Brett Myers is at the "kicking the tires" stage, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
• With a plethora of catchers in the mix, the Red Sox will field offers for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, tweets Jon Heyman.

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Orioles Notes: Myers, McLouth, Saunders, Thome

The Orioles have shown interest in Brett Myers, who plans to pitch as a starter in 2013, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).  The Twins and Royals are among the other American League teams in on the right-hander.  Here's more on the O's..

• General manager Dan Duquette is confident that the team won't need to trade for an outfielder given the amount of options available via free agency, Morosi writes. The team would like to add an outfielder so that Chris Davis could move back to first base or DH.
• Duquette spoke with reporters at the meetings and said that the team still has interest in re-signing Nate McLouth and Joe Saunders, Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun tweets.  Duquette added that the club has not had contact with Jim Thome and is not sure if he intends to play next season.
• The O's feel good about their second base options and their priority remains trading for a middle-of-the-order bat, according to Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com (via Twitter).
• Manager Buck Showalter has narrowed the third base coach search down and hopes to have it done by the end of the meetings, Encina tweets.

MLBTR's Steve Adams contributed to this post.

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Twins Have Interest In Brett Myers

The Twins are in the market for starting pitching help this winter, and there is a growing sense within the organization that Brett Myers could be a fit according to Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune. Agent Craig Landis confirmed the team's interest.

"They're interested, or perhaps even very interested ... And that's about as far as we are right now," said Landis. GM Terry Ryan acknowledged he's "touched base with most of the pitchers on the market" without discussing Myers specifically.

The 32-year-old right-hander has told teams this winter he prefers to work as a starter first, a closer second, and a setup man third. Myers posted a 3.31 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 65 1/3 relief innings for the Astros and White Sox this season, but just a year ago he posted a 4.46 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 216 innings as a starter for Houston.

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Twins Rumors: McCarthy, Blanton, Dempster, Myers

Here's the latest on the Twins from Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN...

• So far, the Twins have reached out to free agents Brandon McCarthy, Anibal Sanchez, Joe Blanton, Ryan Dempster, and Brett Myers. They're interested in Myers as a starter. They've also reached out to Brandon Webb even though he hasn't thrown a pitch in the big leagues since 2009.
• The club continues to have regular conversations with Alan Nero, who represents right-hander Scott Baker. The two sides are working on a new contract after Baker's $9.25MM option was declined.
• The Twins have not shown any interest in Jon Garland and were not present when the right-hander threw for teams during an audition back in September.
• Talks with reliever Jared Burton about a contract extension are underway. Matt Swartz projects a $2.1MM salary for the right-hander next season, after which he'll become a free agent.
• The Twins have inquired about reliever Randy Messenger, though the Hanshin Tigers in Japan will not allow the right-hander out of his contract.
• The team has not contacted Bill Bray after he hit free agency. Special assistant Wayne Krivsky acquired the left-hander during his tenure as Reds GM.

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Rosenthal's Latest: Uptons, Ellsbury, Myers, Garland

Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Mets were discussing R.A. Dickey in trades with other teams. He hears that the club has not made a "substantial (extension) offer" yet, and if they get the right trade offer they may just move on. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors from the GM Meetings...

• The Rays need B.J. Upton to reject his qualifying offer before making a serious run at his brother Justin. The elder Upton is drawing interest and figures to reject the offer by tomorrow's deadline.
• The Tigers are a darkhorse for Justin since they could offer top third base prospect Nick Castellanos and others, including guys like Avisail Garcia, Rick Porcello, and Drew Smyly.
• The Braves do not appear to be in serious pursuit of Upton.
• The Red Sox continue to be disinclined to trade Jacoby Ellsbury and the chances of moving him are slim. GM Ben Cherington is the type to listen on all of his players, however.
• Brett Myers is telling teams he wants to be a starter first, a closer second, and a setup man third.
• Jon Garland, who has not pitched since July 2011 due to shoulder surgery, intends to make a comeback. He threw for 10-15 teams in September.

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Quick Hits: Berkman, Myers, Mariners, Rays, Rockies

Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow says that he will be in contact with Lance Berkman this winter, writes Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.  “Lance can still produce at the Major League level,” said Luhnow. “He’s a guy a lot of clubs are going to be interested in. We’ll have a conversation with him and see where it goes.”  It seemed as though Berkman was leaning towards retirement but late last week the veteran said that he would keep his options open and listen to any offer that comes his way.  With the Astros shifting to the American League, the 36-year-old could be a solid fit as a DH.  Here's more from around baseball..

• As he gets set to hit the open market, right-hander Brett Myers says that he would be open to either working as a starter or reliever, writes Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com.  “I’ve got the mentality, I want to pitch,” Myers said. “Whichever way a team wants me to go I’ll do. I think I’ve proven I can start. I’ve proven I can do both. Hindsight is 20/20. Some teams might like me in the bullpen. Some might like me as a starter. It’s up to the team.”  The White Sox were evaluating Myers as a potential starter before they declined his $10MM option for 2013.
• Mariners GM Jack Mariners GM Zduriencik says that he expects to have more money available than the $85MM the team opened 2012 with, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times tweets.  The M's agreed to a two-year contract extension with right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma earlier tonight that includes an option for 2015.
• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if the Rays might look to trade Jeremy Hellickson rather than the more expensive James Shields.  While Hellickson is still quite affordable and won't be eligible for arbitration until 2014, he is a Scott Boras client and not likely to sign a club-friendly extension anytime soon.
• The Rockies won't decide on their managerial situation this weekend and are set to interview Matt Williams on Monday, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

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AL Central Notes: White Sox, Kelly, Rondon, Royals

Here are some notes from around the AL Central...

• The White Sox won't make any qualifying offers to any of their remaining free agents, GM Rick Hahn told reporters (including Jim Margalus of the South Side Sox blog).  Kevin Youkilis, A.J. Pierzynski and Brett Myers all weren't expected to receive the $13.3MM qualifying offers, though Hahn told all three players he would be interested in bringing them back to Chicago next season.
• In an interview with The Waddle & Silvy Show on ESPN 1000 radio, Hahn re-stated his interest in Youkilis.  "He knows there is no confusion in his mind about our desire to bring him back. So we're going to stay on that, stay in communication," Hahn said.  "It's not a great time to be a club in the free-agent market looking for a third baseman, the player pool is not real deep, so I expect Kevin will be popular, but we're going to be in on that until the end, I think."
• Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Don Kelly that the team was interested in re-signing him to a minor league contract, Kelly tells George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.  Kelly elected to become a free agent when the Tigers outrighted him off the 40-man roster yesterday.
• With Jose Valverde on his way out of Detroit, Dombrowski and Jim Leyland hinted that rookie Bruce Rondon could be the Tigers' closer next season, reports MLB.com's Jason Beck.  The Venezuelan right-hander turns 22 in December and has a 2.53 ERA with 213 strikeouts in 196 minor league innings, though Rondon has only eight innings of experience above the Double-A level.
• The Royals' acquisition of Ervin Santana is "not a great trade," writes Rany Jazayerli of the Rany On The Royals blog, but he ultimately likes the move since it shows Kansas City is willing to make aggressive moves to upgrade their rotation and, even if Santana doesn't pan out, the Royals are only committed to him for one season.

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Quick Hits: Rockies, White Sox, Peavy, D'Backs

The Rockies have six known candidates for their managerial vacancy in Jason Giambi, bench coach Tom Runnells, former shortstop Walt Weiss, Jerry Manuel, former Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, and current Diamondbacks bench coach Matt Williams.  While they have expressed interest in Giants bench coach Ron Wotus, a major league source told Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post that the list is not likely to be expanded beyond those six.  The source didn't completely rule out the possibility of more names being added, though Wotus hasn't had an interview scheduled with the club.  Here's more from around baseball..

• In a conference call with reporters, White Sox General Manager Rick Hahn said that the short length of Jake Peavy's deal was "absolutely key" in getting the deal done, writes Jim Margalus of South Side Sox.  Hahn went on to reiterate that he hopes to have Kevin Youkilis, A.J. Pierzynski, and Brett Myers back with the club in 2013.
• After acquiring reliever Heath Bell and shortstop Cliff Pennington, the Diamondbacks don't have a lot of free agent needs this winter, writes Corey Brock of MLB.com.  General Manager Kevin Towers will now look to add a starting pitcher, left-handed reliever, and possibly a third baseman.  Towers obviously isn't averse to trading and could go that route rather than looking to the open market.
• Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker runs down this year's NPB free agents with possible major league interest.  Relievers Kyuji Fujikawa and Hideki Okajima are already well-known but shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima and second baseman Kensuke Tanaka could also make the jump this winter.  The Yankees won the rights to sign Nakajima last year but were unable to come to terms with him on a deal.  Tanaka appears to be a prototypical small-ball player and is reportedly willing to take a minor league deal.
• Reds pitching coach Bryan Price has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Marlins' managerial vacancy, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

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