Rockies Offer Torrealba Two-Year Deal
5:58: Renck reports that the Rockies made a two-year offer worth $4.5-6MM. The two sides continue to talk and they could reach a deal tonight. Miguel Olivo is currently a fallback option for the Rockies.
5:08pm: The Rockies made progress with Torrealba this afternoon, according to Renck. The catcher is looking for a two year deal worth about $6MM, like the one Ivan Rodriguez signed.
3:36pm: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has multiple teams competing for free agent catcher Yorvit Torrealba, with the Rockies a "slight favorite." Torrealba hopes to re-sign with Colorado, but the Mets, Giants, Blue Jays, and Royals are other suitors. Torrealba met with the Mets today, and his grievance from 2007 is apparently no longer an issue.
With Brian Schneider and Ivan Rodriguez surprisingly getting two-year deals, Torrealba has a case for the same.
Marlins Talking Uggla, Lindstrom, Pinto
5:32pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Marlins are exchanging names as they discuss potential deals involving Uggla, Pinto and Lindstrom.
3:38pm: John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle heard four teams are in on Uggla.
12:17pm: CBS Sports' Danny Knobler has five or six teams in on Lindstrom, and says talks for the reliever are further along than those for Uggla.
8:15am: The Orioles are in the mix for second baseman Dan Uggla, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Since Marlins officials were late to arrive in Indianapolis, Uggla talks with various clubs did not begin until the evening. Frisaro believes Uggla will wind up in the AL, unless the Giants get him. ESPN's Buster Olney heard last night that the Giants were not close to a deal. Frisaro notes that there aren't many clubs seriously interested in Uggla.
A couple of other arbitration-eligible Marlins are hot topics on the trade market: Renyel Pinto and Matt Lindstrom.
Nationals Sign Jerry Owens
The Nationals signed Jerry Owens to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The 28-year-old outfielder has a .625 OPS in parts of four MLB seasons. Owens, who stole 32 bases for the White Sox two seasons ago, will compete for a roster spot in Spring Training.
Nationals Interested In Vicente Padilla
The Nationals have interest in free agent pitcher Vicente Padilla, writes Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post. The Dodgers appear to have some interest in re-signing Padilla to a one-year deal, but we haven't heard much otherwise.
Padilla, 32, was released by the Rangers in August. He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers and pitched well in nine starts (two of which were in the postseason). The Nationals have also been connected to starters Jon Garland and John Smoltz in previous reports.
Twitter Rumors: Mulder, Pie, Torrealba, Sheets
Random rumors collected from Twitter…
- The Brewers will meet with Mark Mulder's people today, says SI's Jon Heyman. Ken Rosenthal tweets that a meeting with the Royals already occurred today.
- Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says the Royals like Felix Pie, but are "finding it tough to meet Baltimore's needs."
- The Brewers are working to re-sign pitcher Claudio Vargas, MLB.com's Adam McCalvy learned. They view him as a reliever. UPDATE: McCalvy says the Brewers think they're close.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that Ben Sheets' agent Casey Close will meet with both New York teams, among others. A throwing audition appears unlikely. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers would like a medical update on Sheets, who they almost signed before the season.
- Newsday's David Lennon says the Mets met with Yorvit Torrealba's agent this morning. He could be an alternative to Bengie Molina, if the Mets and Torrealba can settle their grievance. Torrealba had a signed term sheet with the Mets two years ago for a three-year, $14.4MM deal, but the Mets pulled out over concerns with the player's shoulder. Lennon's colleague Ken Davidoff says the Giants are still involved on Torrealba.
- The Brewers have a meeting with minor league free agent/knuckleballer Charlie Zink this afternoon, says Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart says LaTroy Hawkins will meet with the Astros today in hopes of getting a deal done soon.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick finds the Brewers likely to tender a contract to righty Dave Bush on Saturday. Despite a rough year Bush could get a small raise on this year's $4MM salary.
- WEEI's Alex Speier says five to six teams have checked in on free agent outfielder Brian Giles, the Red Sox not among them.
- Joe Crede doesn't expect to sign until late in the offseason, reports Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press.
Dodgers, Rockies Possible For Luis Ayala
TUESDAY: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that we should expect Ayala to ink a minor league deal with the Dodgers or Rockies.
THURSDAY: Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times tweets that the Dodgers are in discussions with free agent reliever Luis Ayala about a minor league contract.
Ayala, 32 in January, posted a 5.62 ERA in 40 innings in 2009, mostly for the Twins but some for the Marlins. Over the last two seasons, he's posted a 5.68 ERA in 115.2 innings.
Odds & Ends: Mora, Figgins, Tejada, Rangers
Links for Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis…
- Add Robb Quinlan to the list of utility men on the Rockies' radar, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports names Melvin Mora as another target. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of interest from the Twins in Quinlan.
- The Mariners' deal for Chone Figgins is official, tweets the Brock & Salk show. The team press release notes it's a four-year deal with an option for 2014.
- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged interest in Miguel Tejada, talking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By the way, Astros GM Ed Wade is certain he won't re-sign Tejada, tweets Alyson Footer. Tejada apparently wants multiple years.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are considering free agent catchers such as Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Yorvit Torrealba, and Jose Molina.
- WEEI's Alex Speier passes along Scott Boras' comments from an XM Radio appearance. Boras discussed Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre.
- The Brewers are discussing relievers Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez at least internally, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The Crew recently lost reliever Mark DiFelice for the 2010 season. Gonzalez would cost good money and the Brewers' second-round pick (currently #50).
- Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk asks whether Twitter is helping or hurting the Winter Meetings. My opinion: hurting. The information crush was tolerable when reporters all got blogs a few years back, but now it's excessive. Of course, we're not helping.
- Jamey Carroll would love to play for the Reds but hasn't received an offer yet, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The D'Backs offered Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson and were turned down, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Wilson tweets that he's "borderline offended" by Arizona's offer.
- The Pirates have had further talks with free agent hurler Justin Duchscherer, says Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but don't expect him to sign soon. We learned yesterday that the Rockies have cooled on Duchscherer. Kovacevic also reports that despite scouting Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates are not a player for him. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. indicates that Chapman will be showcased in Houston later this month.
- The Rays and White Sox discussed a Carlos Quentin–Carl Crawford trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Manager Ozzie Guillen implies that nothing is cooking on that front though. The two clubs also discussed closer Bobby Jenks, but the Rays did not like the asking price.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins admitted to interest in Hideki Matsui, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Keep in mind, though that the Japanese press is apparently grilling every GM on Matsui. Reagins also said he hasn't ruled out re-signing Vladimir Guerrero.
- Carl Pavano explained his decision to accept arbitration from the Twins, in an email to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests retaining Pavano makes Glen Perkins expendable.
- The Rangers are not interested in trading for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
Rangers Discussing Millwood Trades
3:10pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan believes the Orioles have cooled on Millwood. He says the Rangers were interested in Chris Tillman (which is crazy) while the O's offered David Hernandez and Brandon Erbe (Erbe alone seems fair).
9:00am: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says no deal is imminent and the Rangers are in serious talks with multiple teams about Millwood. As you know, the Rangers allowed Millwood to record "The $12 Million Out" last September, letting his $12MM option vest for 2010. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic guesses that the D'Backs could be in the mix for Millwood if talks for Edwin Jackson fail, and Morosi agrees.
6:56am: The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck reports that while it may have started as speculation, the rumors of Kevin Millwood going to Baltimore are starting to become more of a reality.
Schmuck reports that the Orioles are getting closer to acquiring Millwood for one of their second-tier pitching prospects. The Rangers are likely to eat some of Millwood's contract no matter what, I assume, but Schmuck writes that the number is dependent on which prospect the Orioles surrender.
Schmuck also adds that the Orioles have "at least a passing interest" in Joel Pineiro. Pineiro's agent Adam Katz tells MASN's Roch Kubatko that Baltimore's interest in Pineiro and Rich Harden has just been "preliminary tire-kicking," however.
Multiple Teams Eyeing Kelvim Escobar
TUESDAY, 2:49pm: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Escobar received a positive medical report today, and could either pitch winter league ball or just audition for suitors. Crasnick names the Rays, Mariners, Brewers, and Orioles as potential suitors, in addition to the New York teams.
MONDAY, 4:29pm: The Yankees and Mets checked in on free agent pitcher Kelvim Escobar, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman says Escobar might pitch in the Venezuelan winter league to prove his health. Escobar had labrum surgery in August of 2008. Yanks GM Brian Cashman told reporters his priorities are "pitching, pitching, pitching, and then left field."
Earlier today, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald tweeted that the Red Sox met with Escobar's agent Peter Greenberg, who also represents Rafael Soriano.
Dodgers Want One-Year Deals For Pitchers?
6:08pm: Dodgers GM Ned Colletti tells Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that no one has instructed him not to offer multi-year deals. Still, this doesn't mean the team will consider them.
2:46pm: The Dodgers have talked to the agents for Randy Wolf, Vicente Padilla, and Joel Pineiro, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick, but the team won't discuss multiyear deals. Wolf and Pineiro will almost certainly get multiyear contracts this winter, Padilla maybe not. The Dodgers already passed up one chance to get Wolf on a one-year deal (or at least two draft picks) when they decided not to offer him arbitration.
Gurnick says the Dodgers intend to wait out the market and find pitchers who will sign one-year deals later in the offseason. It worked with Wolf last time around.
On a related note, ESPN's Buster Olney says the Dodgers are "essentially in lockdown financially."