Magglio Ordonez Rumors: Wednesday
The latest on Magglio Ordonez…
- Today's workout was only meant for the Tigers and was not an open audition, tweets MLB.com's Ian Browne.
- The Orioles did not watch Ordonez work out today and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail refuted the report that they're interested, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link).
- Interestingly, the Red Sox did not have a representative at Ordonez's workout today, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The Tigers were there, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck.
- It's doubtful that the Red Sox would give Ordonez a two-year deal, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe hears (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox appear to be focusing on Ordonez in their search for an outfielder, reports CBS Sports' Danny Knobler. This would not be good news for Carl Crawford. The Tigers, Phillies, and Orioles are also said to be in the mix for Maggs. Ordonez is coming off a broken ankle, but worked out for teams today. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Boras is seeking at least two years and $20MM.
Orioles In Serious Talks For J.J. Hardy
7:11pm: The Twins and Orioles are still working on a Hardy deal, tweets Smith.
4:23pm: The teams were never close to a deal today, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (on Twitter). The Pirates are also talking to the Twins about Hardy, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports. Meanwhile, Jason Bartlett's availability will likely shape talks to an extent and the Rays are apparently going to trade their shortstop.
2:28pm: A deal is unlikely to be completed today, tweets Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
12:58pm: The Orioles are in serious trade negotiations with the Twins for J.J. Hardy, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun via his colleague Jeff Zrebiec. Zrebiec believes two Orioles minor league pitchers would be involved, including Brett Jacobson.
Russell Martin Rumors: Wednesday
Recently non-tendered catcher Russell Martin is drawing plenty of interest on the open market; here's the latest. He's recovering from a hip fracture, but teams have already examined his medical records.
- Martin has multiple offers, according to Hernandez (on Twitter).
- A return to LA seems unlikely, since the Dodgers are nearing a deal with Dioner Navarro, but Martin has at least one offer from another team, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- Boston's interest depends on Martin's willingness to play other positions than catcher, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox remain in play on Martin but haven't made a decision, tweets Edes.
- The Dodgers' final offer to Martin was $4.2MM plus $1.5-1.7MM in incentives based on games played, reports Yahoo's Steve Henson. Henson says letting Martin go was a gut-wrenching decision for GM Ned Colletti. Will he match the amount he turned down from the Dodgers?
- Teams are now making offers to Martin's agent Matt Colleran, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, and the Yankees and Red Sox are in the center of the mix. Gordon Edes' source says the Red Sox are making a strong push.
Nationals Notes: Winn, Webb, Wang, LaRoche
Washington may or may not be in on Cliff Lee. Here's what we do know about the Nationals:
- The Nationals may show interest in Randy Winn, a source told MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- GM Mike Rizzo told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he met with Brandon Webb's agent this week (Twitter link). The Nationals believe the right-hander is healthy. The Cubs and Rangers have interest in Webb, but the Brewers aren't currently interested.
- Washington also likes Chien-Ming Wang, another pitcher coming back from injury, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com (Twitter link). Rizzo told Goessling that he's hopeful of signing Wang, who could re-join the Nats even if they sign Webb.
- As the Nats' official Twitter feed reminds us, Rizzo still intends to add a first baseman who isn't currently in the organization. No deal with Adam LaRoche is imminent, but the Nationals are interested, at the very least. The Nationals had interest in Carlos Pena before he signed with the Cubs.
Seven Teams Interested In Octavio Dotel
Seven clubs are interested in Octavio Dotel, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter, in Spanish). The Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Orioles, Twins, Pirates and Yankees have inquired on the right-hander, Rojas writes.
The 37-year-old bounced from the Pirates to the Dodgers to the Rockies in 2010 and posted a 4.08 ERA along the way. He picked up 21 saves as the Pirates' closer and struck out over a batter per inning (10.5 K/9) overall. Dotel walked lots of hitters as usual (4.5 BB/9), but limited hits.
Marlins Discussed Three-Team Deal
6:50pm: The Marlins and Rangers are discussing deals involving relievers, according to Rosenthal.
5:44pm: The Marlins tried to acquire Greinke and were talking to the Rangers, but Texas denies that they discussed a three-team deal, according to Rosenthal (on Twitter).
5:31pm: The Marlins are not trading Nolasco, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (Twitter link).
5:14pm: The Rangers and Royals were involved in the potential three-team deal involving Greinke, according to Rosenthal (Twitter links). And the Rockies? They inquired about Nunez, but not Nolasco, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
5:01pm: The deal would have sent Nolasco to the Rockies, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). One of the Marlins' attempted three-team trades would have sent Zack Greinke to Florida, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Talks are lukewarm, but still alive, Rosenthal reports.
4:44pm: Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest told Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that the team was involved in discussions with two other clubs about a multiplayer deal before talks stalled (Twitter link). The Rangers and Rockies were the other teams involved in the potential swap, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link). Leo Nunez and Ricky Nolasco, two players the Marlins will consider trading, were involved in the discussions.
The Rangers and Rockies were discussing a potential Michael Young deal last night, but it's not clear if these trade talks were related.
Carl Crawford Rumors: Wednesday
Carl Crawford is the biggest free agent prize among position players, but who can afford him? The latest:
- One Red Sox source says the market is likely "too crazy" for Boston to get seriously involved, according to ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes (on Twitter).
- Multiple baseball sources and people close to Crawford tell Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles that they expect the left fielder to sign with the Angels.
- Crawford was at the dinner with GM Brian Cashman and agent Brian Peters, according to Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. The Yankees are "very interested" in Crawford and could pursue him even if they sign Lee.
- The Rangers met with Crawford's agent, tweets Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman had a long Crawford-related meeting yesterday, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Joel Sherman tweets that Cashman met with his agent Brian Peters at a restaurant away from the meetings. Olney feels the Yankees are "preparing to zig off Cliff Lee if necessary." Meanwhile Olney's colleague Jayson Stark tweets that the Yankees are hinting that if Andy Pettitte retires, it becomes more likely they can afford both Crawford and Lee. One Yankes official described that scenario as "highly unlikely" to Sherman.
Latest On Athletics Designated Hitter Search
5:36pm: The A's are confident they can sign Matsui, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
2:32pm: This morning, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle posted the latest on the Athletics' search for a designated hitter:
- Vladimir Guerrero is now open to a one-year deal with any AL West team. The Mariners are probably not a match given the Jack Cust signing, and the Angels probably aren't planning a reunion, so this news really only affects the Athletics. Meanwhile, the Rangers still consider Vlad their best DH option and are optimistic about a deal according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- The A's still have Hideki Matsui atop their list, though he's drawn interest from the Orioles and possibly Rangers.
- Nick Johnson, said to be fully recovered from wrist surgery, is also in the mix for Oakland.
Reds Sign Miguel Cairo To Two-Year Deal
The Reds signed Miguel Cairo to a two-year deal worth $2MM. Cairo, 36, hit .290/.353/.410 in 226 plate appearances for the Reds, playing mostly at the infield corners. Cairo is represented by ACES.
MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reported the agreement (on Twitter), Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported that the sides were close to a deal (Twitter link) and ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported the terms (Twitter link).
Padres Pushing For Jason Bartlett
The Rays will definitely trade Jason Bartlett, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, who suggests a deal could go down tonight (Twitter links). The Orioles aren't involved, so it's down to the Padres and Pirates. We'll keep track of all the rumors right here:
- Bartlett is likely going to San Diego, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter).
- The Padres and Rays are discussing a deal that would send pitchers Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos to Tampa Bay for Bartlett, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune.
- The Rays are asking the Pirates for Joel Hanrahan, according to Rob Biertempfel (on Twitter).
- It appears that Bartlett wants to sign an extension if traded, according to Sherman.