Phillies To Sign Ross Gload
The Phillies have agreed to sign Ross Gload to a two-year deal, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. He leaves the Marlins behind and joins Ben Francisco, Brian Schneider, Greg Dobbs and Juan Castro on Philly's bench.
We heard earlier tonight that the Marlins and Braves were also willing to offer Gload two-year deals. The 33-year-old led the league in pinch hits last year and can sub in at first and in left or right. He hit .261/.329/.400, appearing in over 100 games for the third straight season.
Odds & Ends: Unit, Rhodes, Crisp, Valverde
More links for the evening…
- The Red Sox will find out tomorrow if their claim on Rays righty Ramon A. Ramirez went through, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. This isn't the same Ramon Ramirez that appeared in 70 games for Boston last year.
- Randy Johnson is still undecided about 2010, according to this AP report on ESPN.com.
- The Rangers discussed Arthur Rhodes with the Reds today, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Rangers are on the lookout for lefty relievers.
- The Rangers are considering Jason Kendall and Rod Barajas behind the plate, according to Sullivan. ESPN.com's Keith Law says this is a problem for the Rangers. He doesn't think much of any of the free agent catchers they're considering.
- Coco Crisp would be up for signing with the White Sox, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
- Talks between the Twins and Joe Crede are progressing slowly, according to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier.
- The Mariners are keeping in touch with Rich Harden's agents, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Nats were interested in Jose Valverde, but they felt his asking price was too high, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times reports that Scott Boras will meet with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik tonight. Adrian Beltre is one of Boras' clients, so they'll presumably discuss him.
- White Sox reliever Matt Thornton tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he's recruiting J.J. Putz. Thornton says he and Putz have a long-standing "bromance" that dates back to their Seattle days.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says Justin Smoak and Neftali Feliz are too much to give up for Josh Johnson. Apparently, the Rangers offered the pair of top prospects up.
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus likes the Ivan Rodriguez signing for the Nats, partly because Pudge could help develop Stephen Strasburg.
- By the way, the deal is pending a physical, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- The Braves are interested in Xavier Nady, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Mets may be more inclined to pay top dollar for John Lackey now that they've seen the asking prices of some lesser starters.
- The Cardinals won't be involved with Lackey, but they have interest in signing a lefty bench bat, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.
Peter Gammons To Join MLB.com, NESN
10:23pm: Gammons will join MLB.com, the MLB Network and NESN.com. He gives MLBTR a shout out in this Boston Globe article, saying "I love stuff like MLBTradeRumors.com." We sure look forward to watching his broadcasts and reading his work.
2:08pm: Surprising press release today: legendary journalist Peter Gammons will leave ESPN to pursue other endeavors after the Winter Meetings. Hopefully Gammons will continue writing for another outlet.
Rangers Interested In Jorge Cantu
The Rangers are showing "strong interest" in Marlins infielder Jorge Cantu, according to one of Jon Paul Morosi's sources. The FOX reporter writes that the Rangers could offer a starting pitcher in exchange for Cantu, though Kevin Millwood's $12MM salary is almost certainly too much for the cash-strapped Marlins.
Brandon McCarthy might be a better fit, according to a second source. The 26-year-old will likely earn about $1MM next year.
Gload Choosing Between Phils, Braves, Marlins
Ross Gload should soon sign a two-year deal with an NL East team, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The only question is: which team will he choose? The Phillies, Braves and Marlins are all interested in the 33-year-old utilityman. The Marlins turned down a $2.6MM option for Gload's 2010 services earlier in the offseason.
He hit .261/.329/.400 in 259 plate appearances with the Marlins this year, playing a combination of first base, left field and right field. He even pitched a scoreless frame against the Rays this May, inducing a double play ball off of Dioner Navarro.
Astros Rumors: Hawkins, Tejada
Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros are intent on bringing LaTroy Hawkins back. However, the D'Backs, Rays and Orioles are also interested in the veteran righty. The Astros are probably not willing to offer Hawkins a multi-year deal, Wade said.
It seems unlikely that Miguel Tejada will return to Houston. GM Ed Wade said the shortstop's agent is hoping for a longer deal than the Astros are willing to offer.
“I'm not optimistic we'll be able to get something done with Miggy,” Wade said.
Tony La Russa said yesterday that the Cardinals have some interest in Tejada.
Twitter Rumors: Mets, Granderson, Matsui
More links from Twitter. Be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter for all your updates.
- Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is not interested in Aroldis Chapman.
- It doesn't look like the Reds will be spending big on a shortstop like Orlando Cabrera or Miguel Tejada, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The Nationals see John Smoltz as a starter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ken Rosenthal says Smoltz could return to St. Louis.
- John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland and Doug Davis all have the Mets' attention, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The D'Backs will look to add a position player and solidify their bullpen now, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
- The Red Sox discussed a Curtis Granderson trade with the Tigers, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. Apparently, the Tigers wanted Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury (Michael Silverman reporting).
- The Dodgers were interested in Jackson, but didn't want to meet the Tigers' asking price, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
- The Dodgers like Paul Maholm, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins and Robb Quinlan may be a fit for one another. The Rockies are interested, too.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that he only has interest in Hideki Matsui as a DH.
- Bobby Seay, Dusty Ryan and Jeff Larish are all available in trades, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Jason Bay Rumors: Tuesday
7:20pm: Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Jason Bay appears to be a "longshot," speaking on 830 KLAA in Los Angeles tonight.
6:53pm: Some feel the Angels are pushing hard for Bay, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.
10:25am: ESPN's Buster Olney told us yesterday that the Mariners are "unlikely to get involved" on free agent outfielder Jason Bay. Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a similar note, saying the team's interest has been overstated. Things have mostly been quiet on Bay, though the Angels may have opened talks and the Red Sox will meet this morning with his representatives (tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown).
Rangers Offered Smoak & Feliz For Johnson
The Rangers must be confident in their chances next year. Both T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com and Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com are reporting that the team offered Justin Smoak and Neftali Feliz to the Marlins for Josh Johnson.
If that offer didn't get it done, then the Marlins truly are committed to starting the season with their 25-year-old ace. Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins are still open to an extension with Johnson.
Cubs Close On Milton Bradley Trade?
6:03pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says Bradley is not a fit for the Jays.
5:37pm: A high-level Mariners official shot down the Cubs-Mariners rumor, according to Wittenmyer.
5:34pm: Another AL team – not the Angels or Mariners - is involved in the Bradley talks, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
5:27pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports that no deal is imminent. One Cubs person tells Miles that the team is more likely to complete a deal tomorrow.
5:17pm: Yahoo's Tim Brown reports that the Cubs and Mariners are talking about a Bradley for Carlos Silva swap, though nothing is imminent.
5:12pm: Wittenmyer reports that the deal is "three quarters done." Three teams are involved, but the Rangers and Rays aren't among them.
4:12pm: The Cubs are close on trade with a "surprise AL team" for Milton Bradley, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. He says the deal could happen tonight. We know the Royals aren't in on Bradley, and the Rangers or Rays wouldn't be a surprise. So let's hear your guesses.
On the other hand, we talked to someone familiar with the situation who said there's "nothing new" on Bradley. Early this morning, the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan had this to say:
Sources outside the organization insist the best bet remains a deal with the Rays involving Pat Burrell, whom the Cubs would try to deal elsewhere, possibly to the Blue Jays for prospects.
Meanwhile Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that Seattle is a possible destination for Bradley, in a trade for Carlos Silva. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Rangers are no longer interested.