Royals Rumors: Greinke, Gordon, Francoeur
Royals GM Dayton Moore told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he doesn't expect to trade Zack Greinke any time soon. “There’s nothing in the works, and I don’t anticipate anything happening real quick unless someone calls and just blows us away," Moore said. "I haven’t made any calls to clubs.” Here's the latest on Greinke and the Royals:
- The Blue Jays aren't the only AL East team to inquire on Greinke; the Red Sox have also expressed interest.
- The Blue Jays are one of many teams with interest in Alex Gordon, but Royals officials say they won’t dump the former top prospect for a small return.
- Moore says “Jeff [Francoeur] is a winning-type baseball player who brings a lot of energy.” It sounds like the Royals have some interest in the free agent, but Moore cautioned that a potential deal would have to work for both sides.
- Japanese clubs are interested in Phil Humber and Bryan Bullington, but the players would have to approve any deal.
- The Royals allowed former prospect Chris McConnell to become a minor league free agent over the winter.
Tigers Prioritizing Victor Martinez
The Tigers are making free agent catcher Victor Martinez their top priority among all free agent hitters, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. If Martinez signs in Detroit, he'd likely share the catching duties with Alex Avila, spell Miguel Cabrera at first and start occasionally at DH. The Red Sox expected the Tigers to pursue Martinez and are eyeing John Buck in case V-Mart signs elsewhere.
The Orioles, Rockies and Rangers are among the teams with potential interest in Martinez. He batted .302/.351/.493 with 20 homers in 2010 and has already heard from six interested teams even though his Type A status likely means he'll cost a top draft pick. Earlier today, Morosi suggested that it's in Martinez's best interest to sign sooner rather than later.
Potential Suitors For Gordon Beckham
Rival teams believe the White Sox will listen to offers for Gordon Beckham, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. Let's take a look around the league to determine which teams could become suitors for the infielder. The 24-year-old has a career .260/.331/.416 line and extensive big league experience at second and third. It seems likely that more than half the teams in baseball would have some interest in the former first rounder, despite the extended slow start he had in 2010. Here's a list of teams with potential interest:
- Orioles – Josh Bell didn't do much in his 2010 debut, so Beckham could play third and Bell could become trade bait.
- Blue Jays – The Blue Jays could non-tender Edwin Encarnacion and play Beckham at third. He strikes me as the sort of player the Blue Jays would have serious interest in.
- Red Sox – The Red Sox could play Beckham at third and let Adrian Beltre walk as a free agent.
- Indians – The Indians are considering options for third base, but would GM Kenny Williams deal Beckham to a division rival?
- Tigers – It seems unlikely that the Tigers could pry Beckham from the White Sox, but it's fun to imagine him at second base.
- Twins – Orlando Hudson will probably sign elsewhere, but the Twins face the same problem the Tigers and Indians do.
- Royals – The Royals aren't an immediate threat to the White Sox and I bet they'd love to add Beckham to their organization.
- A's – The A's could non-tender or trade Kevin Kouzmanoff and play Beckham at third.
- Angels – The Angels could insert Beckham at third if they don't land Beltre.
- Marlins – Chris Coghlan will likely play third for Florida next year and Dan Uggla is under team control, but Coghlan could also play in the outfield and Uggla may become a trade candidate.
- Mets – The Mets would have to create space by trading Luis Castillo.
- Cardinals – Beckham would be a nice fit at second base.
- Cubs – The Cubs could have interest in working out a deal with their cross-town rivals and handing Beckham the second base job.
- Astros – It wouldn't be shocking if the Astros had some interest in Beckham.
- Dodgers – GM Ned Colletti might like the idea of making Beckham his second baseman.
- Padres – Beckham would be a great fit for the Padres, since he's cheap and David Eckstein is a free agent.
- Giants – Pablo Sandoval is falling out of favor in San Francisco.
- D'Backs – Beckham does strike out a fair amount, but he could be a consideration if the D'Backs move Mark Reynolds.
- Rockies – If the Rockies non-tender Clint Barmes, they could have interest in Beckham.
The Yankees (Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano), Rays (Evan Longoria, Sean Rodriguez, Ben Zobrist), Mariners (Chone Figgins, Dustin Ackley), Rangers (Michael Young, Ian Kinsler), Braves (Chipper Jones, Martin Prado, Omar Infante), Phillies (Placido Polanco, Chase Utley), Nationals (Ryan Zimmerman, Danny Espinosa), Reds (Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips), Brewers (Casey McGehee, Rickie Weeks) and Pirates (Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker) have long-term options at third and second. Beckham's promise, affordability and versatility would likely make him one of the most highly coveted players on the trade market if the White Sox do make him available.
Minor League Transactions: Clevlen, Moss, Cash
The latest minor league transactions include a number of familiar names. Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the details:
- The Braves re-signed Brent Clevlen and signed independent leaguer Beau Torbert, who posted tremendous numbers in the American Association this year. Earlier in the week, Torbert told David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he's excited to be joining the Braves.
- The Astros signed right-hander Casey Fien. Fien has appeared in 11 games for the Tigers, but the 27-year-old has not proven himself against big league hitters.
- Former Yankees lefty Royce Ring elected free agency.
- The Pirates released Chris Jakubauskas and saw Brandon Moss elect free agency. Moss arrived in Pittsburgh in the Jason Bay trade, but he hit just .228/.295/.373 in parts of three seasons for the Pirates.
- Former Mariners catcher Guillermo Quiroz became a free agent.
- The Rangers signed Kevin Cash. The 32-year-old backstop posted a .483 OPS for the Astros and Red Sox last year and threw out an uncharacteristically low percentage of would be base stealers.
Odds & Ends: Messenger, Martin, LaRoche, Branyan
Some links for Veterans Day…
- MLBTR echoes commissioner Bud Selig's thoughts on the death of a legendary Mariners broadcaster: “All of Baseball is terribly saddened … by the tragic news that Dave Niehaus, the voice of the Seattle Mariners, has passed away."
- Randy Messenger has agreed to a deal with the Hanshin Tigers, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The five-year MLB veteran pitched for the Mariners in 2009.
- Three former White Sox employees were indicted on federal fraud charges yesterday, according to Melissa Segura of SI.com. They allegedly accepted $400K worth of signing bonuses intended for Latin American prospects.
- Russell Martin's agent repeated to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that the catcher wants to play for the Dodgers in 2011. There's been extensive speculation that the Dodgers could non-tender or trade Martin.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington told MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch that Andy LaRoche has to prove his worth to the Pirates, who are attempting to determine the best way to maximize the 27-year-old's value.
- Russell Branyan has left Dan Lozano and is now represented by ACES, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).
Braves Rumors: Burrell, Upton, Jurrjens, Vazquez
The Braves’ main offseason goal is to add at least one outfielder and it seems like they’ll acquire one via trade, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Here’s the latest on the Braves’ search for an outfielder plus other hot stove notes:
- The Braves appear to have shown interest in Pat Burrell, but he may be too expensive for Atlanta. One reason Burrell fits in Atlanta: he’s right-handed and the Braves are looking to complement the team’s lefty-heavy lineup.
- B.J. Upton may be available, but the Braves don’t seem interested in taking a chance on the Rays center fielder.
- The Braves will have a better idea of their spending power once they determine whether they can trade Kenshin Kawakami. Multiple Japanese teams showed interest in the right-hander earlier in the offseason.
- Not surprisingly, the Braves seem reluctant to consider trading Jair Jurrjens.
- Javier Vazquez will become a target if they need to fill a rotation spot. Vazquez excelled in Atlanta in 2009, but the Braves already have Jurrjens, Kawakami, Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Derek Lowe and Mike Minor.
Phillies Sign Pete Orr
The Phillies signed utility man Pete Orr, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Orr, 31, last appeared in the majors with the Nationals in 2009. In five seasons for the Braves and Nationals, he has a career .260/.287/.335 line. The Canadian has just 555 big league plate appearances, but he has played at second, third, short and in both corner outfield positions.
Orr spent the 2010 season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he batted .264/.326/.436 in 536 plate appearances. He hit 12 homers, stole 25 bases and played second, third, short and all three outfield positions.
Rosenthal On A’s, Westbrook, Uribe, Soriano
You’ve heard by now that the A’s acquired David DeJesus, but he was far from the only bat they considered trading for. GM Billy Beane was after Josh Willingham and considered making a deal for Dan Uggla, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The A’s probably aren’t done adding offense. Beane told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he’d still like to make an upgrade or two (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s rumors.
- The Red Sox aren’t likely to offer Adrian Beltre a five-year deal.
- The Cardinals are still in contact with Jake Westbrook, but they would prefer to reach a two-year deal and Westbrook might be able to get three years from another club, so talks appear to be losing momentum.
- Orlando Cabrera and Juan Uribe are already drawing more interest than they did at this time last year, according to Rosenthal.
- The White Sox are checking in on Rafael Soriano and, as Rosenthal points out, that’s yet another sign that they’re open to trading or non-tendering Bobby Jenks.
Blue Jays Have Inquired On Greinke, Gordon
The Blue Jays have inquired about the availability of Zack Greinke and Alex Gordon, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. As Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reported yesterday, the Royals are looking for multiple top prospects for Greinke.
The Blue Jays have Shaun Marcum, Brandon Morrow, Ricky Romero, Brett Cecil and Kyle Drabek pencilled in to their 2011 rotation. They could either let Drabek begin the year in the minors or trade a starter of their own if they acquired Greinke.
Gordon could play first or third for the Blue Jays, but it’s unlikely that he would patrol the outfield, where Travis Snider, Vernon Wells and Jose Bautista figure to get most of the playing time.
It’s not surprising to hear that the Blue Jays inquired on Greinke, a former Cy Young Award winner, and Gordon, a former first rounder who has always destroyed minor league pitching, but it doesn’t mean that GM Alex Anthopoulos will make the Royals a serious offer.
Angels Target Crawford, Prepare To Spend
The Angels have made Carl Crawford their primary free agent target and are prepared to spend $100MM or more on him, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. The Halos will also monitor the market for Cliff Lee, but they don’t expect to become finalists for the left-hander.
Torii Hunter, who speaks to Crawford regularly, predicts the Red Sox and Angels will be finalists for the left fielder’s services. Hunter expects Angels owner Arte Moreno to visit Crawford in person and he hopes the trip is a success. “We need Carl Crawford," Hunter said. "Put it like that."