Rafael Soriano Accepts Arbitration
Rafael Soriano accepted arbitration, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Braves, who recently signed Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito, will have lots of relatively expensive relievers under contract now. Imagine if Mike Gonzalez accepts, too.
As ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick points out, the Braves need Soriano's permission to trade him before June 15th. Apparently Soriano prefers the security of a one-year deal to the uncertainty of a market that would have been dulled by his Type A status.
Braves Notes: Lowe, Johnson, Church
The Braves are "really pushing" for a Derek Lowe trade, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The righty has three years and $45MM remaining on his contract, so the club would prefer to part with him than Javier Vazquez, who's more affordable ($11.5MM salary in 2010) and more effective.
The Braves are also getting "nibbles" on Kelly Johnson and Ryan Church. There's more interest in Johnson than Church.
Curtis Granderson Rumors: Monday
10:31pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Yankees spent "much of the day" trying to acquire Granderson. They still haven't offered Johnny Damon a contract.
9:49pm: MLB.com's Doug Miller hears from one source who says the Mariners "might" be in the mix for Granderson. That's hardly a surprise, given that they've been linked to him in recent weeks.
5:14pm: Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times talked to a Cubs source who's heard nothing to support rumors that the Tigers are trying to move Granderson this week.
4:05pm: With USA Today's Bob Nightengale suggesting the Tigers hope to trade Curtis Granderson this week, the center fielder requires his own post.
ESPN's Peter Gammons says the Tigers wanted shortstop prospect Starlin Castro and two others from the Cubs. That price is too high for the Cubs. Gammons' colleague Buster Olney says the Tigers want Phil Hughes and Austin Jackson from the Yankees for Granderson.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Monday
10:29pm: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays have checked in on Halladay, as they do on most players, but didn't even talk to the Jays today.
9:37pm: Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that the Jays and Dodgers talked about a possible Halladay deal today and don't appear to match up well.
5:50pm: SI's Jon Heyman says the Angels are interested in Doc only if he'll sign a long-term deal with them.
5:17pm: The Rays "flatly denied" interest in discussing Davis and Upton for Halladay, reports ESPN's Peter Gammons.
4:20pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Rays inquired on Halladay, and "might be willing to offer Wade Davis and B.J. Upton." So far the most surprising rumor of the day.
10:05am: A couple of tweets from ESPN's Buster Olney prompt our first Roy Halladay post of the morning. Olney says the Blue Jays are in discussion mode on Doc, and no trade is close currently. He also says not to rule out the Angels even though they hold Spring Training in Arizona rather than Halladay's reported preference, Florida.
MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tells us that Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is "limiting the number of people in his suite for any talks," which should cut down on leaks. Something tells me the rumors will keep coming.
Rafael Betancourt Accepts Arbitration
Rafael Betancourt accepted the Rockies' offer of arbitration, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The reliever was a Type A free agent, so he would have cost other teams a pair of top draft picks. Accepting arbitration is safer than testing a market that's saturated with trade chips and free agents. Had Betancourt rejected the Rockies' offer, he would have risked becoming this year's Juan Cruz – a player good enough to gain Type A status, but not good enough to give up top picks for.
The Rockies declined their $5.4MMM option for Betancourt earlier in the offseason. The righty should still be in line for a raise from the $3.35MM base salary he earned this year.
Edwin Jackson Rumors: Monday
9:43pm: D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes told Piecoro that team execs are heavily involved in trade talks and currently "talking about a lot of guys." He didn't mention Jackson specifically, but you have to think Byrnes would have squashed this rumor if the D'Backs and Tigers weren't talking about a possible Jackson deal.
8:27pm: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic thinks the D'Backs are making a push for Jackson, but doubts they'd include Max Scherzer in a deal. As Piecoro points out, Scherzer's under team control for three more years than Jackson, who can become a free agent after 2011. Those three extra years add lots of value.
8:03pm: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert wonders whether the Tigers and D'Backs could complete a deal without a third team. Do you see a potential fit?
6:26pm: The Tigers approached the Rockies about Jackson, but Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the asking price was too high for Colorado.
3:58pm: Rosenthal and Morosi say talks for Jackson have been more serious with the D'Backs than the Mariners, and the Angels are in on both Jackson and Granderson. The Red Sox are not in on Jackson, tweets Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the D'Backs are not close to getting Jackson.
3:27pm: Price is back with something a little more concrete: he says the Tigers are sorting through offers from 12 teams for Jackson.
2:26pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports agree with Nightengale – the Tigers are close to trading Jackson. They say the Brewers, Mets, and Dodgers "are not on Jackson."
2:09pm: Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets that a Mets official denied a Jackson trade.
1:54pm: Cryptic tweet from Ed Price of AOL FanHouse: "Rumor that Mets acquire Edwin Jackson." Price then updated that the rumor was "heard in the lobby" but not confirmed.
12:57pm: USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that the Tigers are close to trading Jackson, "perhaps as early as today." No word on the potential destination, but we'll keep you apprised in this post. What's more, Nightengale says the Tigers hope to trade Curtis Granderson this week.
The Tigers acquired Jackson from the Rays during the Winter Meetings last year, on December 10th.
Mariners Interested In Darren Oliver
The Mariners are doing their best to make the Angels feel uneasy. They're interested in free agent lefty Darren Oliver, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The M's are expected to finalize a deal with longtime Angel Chone Figgins soon and they're in the mix for John Lackey. The Angels didn't offer Oliver arbitration, so, unlike Figgins and Lackey, he won't cost a draft pick.
In the words of one unnamed FOX source, "there's some gamesmanship going on."
Rays Shopping Dioner Navarro
The Rays, who recently acquired Kelly Shoppach, are shopping catcher Dioner Navarro, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports. Navarro is a non-tender candidate, especially since the Rays have Shoppach around. It makes sense for the Rays to explore trade options if they expect to non-tender him this weekend.
The Giants, Mariners, Rockies, Mets and Blue Jays are among the teams with interest in adding a catcher, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Rays work out a deal with one of those clubs.
Pirates Intensify Pursuit Of Bobby Crosby
The Pirates are intensifying their pursuit of Bobby Crosby, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Now that the Tigers have signed Adam Everett, there aren't a ton of free agent shortstops out there, and the Pirates appear intent on giving incumbent Ronny Cedeno competition for the starting job.
The Rockies also have interest in Crosby. The former Rookie of the Year hasn't had an OPS above .652 since 2005.
Angels Rumors: Bay, Matsui, Lackey, Halladay
The Angels will consider Jason Bay, Hideki Matsui and Vladimir Guerrero as they look to add offense, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. Here are the details and the rest of his rumors:
- Talks with Bay are just starting, but GM Tony Reagins says he finds the free agent "appealing."
- Matsui and Guerrero are both options, too, though they profile as DHs. Bay played the field every day last year.
- Reagins said the Angels have had "reasonably productive" conversations with John Lackey.
- Could Roy Halladay end up replacing Lackey atop the team's rotation? The Angels will pursue the Blue Jays ace.