Cardinals Have Discussed Bengie Molina
The Cardinals would like to have a backup catcher signed by the end of the Winter Meetings, writes Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. GM John Mozeliak declined to discuss specific names, though the club has known interest in Gregg Zaun. Goold informs us that St. Louis has discussed another interesting option — current catcher Yadier Molina's older brother, Bengie Molina.
Bengie, 35, had one of his worst seasons, hitting just .249/.297/.326 in 416 plate appearances between the Giants and Rangers. It marked the first season in which he didn't post an OPS of at least .717 since 2002, and his five homers on the season tied for a career low. He did show some life with a huge postseason, in which he hit .293/.341/.488 with two home runs, albeit in a small sample size of 41 plate appearances.
Earlier tonight, we heard that Bengie is on the fence about whether or not to play in 2011. My own speculation, but perhaps the allure of teaming up with his younger brother would be enough to convince him to play, should the Cardinals decide to get serious about the idea. The Rockies expressed interest in Molina over the weekend as well.
Nationals Rumors: LaRoche, Lee, Pavano
MLB.com's Bill Ladson has some late night Nationals rumors. Let's take a look:
- In the wake of Carlos Pena's deal with the Cubs, the Nats will likely shift their focus to Adam LaRoche. LaRoche said on Monday that he'd have definite interest if he and Washington were on the same page. The free agent is coming off a season in which he hit .261/.320/468 with 25 HR in his age-30 season.
- A source told Ladson that Washington's chances of winning the Cliff Lee sweepstakes actually increased after the club signed Jayson Werth to his seven-year contract. He also said the Nationals won't offer Lee seven years.
- GM Mike Rizzo says the club likely won't acquire Lee, but Ladson's source says the Nats "are not out of it by any means." Washington won't, however, get into a bidding war like they did for Mark Teixeira in 2008.
- The Nationals appear to be out of the bidding for Carl Pavano's services, as they're not comfortable giving him a multiyear deal. A trade may be Washington's best bet at acquiring a starter.
Heyman’s Latest: Vlad, Thome, Molina, Mets
SI.com's Jon Heyman brings us some updates from around the league, via Twitter:
- Vladimir Guerrero's main suitors appear to be the Rangers, Orioles, and Athletics. Only the Orioles have a set option at designated hitter of that bunch, in Luke Scott. He can man first base, however, and his name has popped up in trade rumors from time to time.
- Heyman lists the same suitors for another DH candidate — Jim Thome. In a separate tweet, Heyman agrees with this report that the Twins are a possible landing spot as well.
- Bengie Molina is now "on the fence" about playing in 2011. Heyman says the veteran backstop could sit out for a year and then return in 2012.
- The Mets prefer Chris Young to Jeff Francis, as Young is said to be willing to accept a guaranteed salary of around $2MM. Francis, according to Heyman, is looking for a guarantee between $4MM and $5MM.
Twins Rumors: Pavano, Nishioka, Thome, Greinke
Another fresh batch of Twins rumors from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
- Carl Pavano's agent Tom O'Connell told Neal that the two sides had a "productive talk" today and said to "stay tuned." According to Neal, the Twins feel they have a legitimate chance to retain the right-hander. O'Connell also met with other teams today, including the Nationals. SI.com's Jon Heyman adds, via Twitter, that the Twins are trying hard to keep Pavano in the fold and that he was their 2010 clubhouse leader.
- The Twins did not meet with Tsuyoshi Nishioka's representatives today, and no talks are scheduled for Wednesday either, says Neal. The club still hopes to sign him, and "no one is worried." Neal reminds us that negotiations with Japanese players can be more complicated, as clauses for perks such as a certain number of round-trip tickets to fly friends and family over from Japan are often worked into the deals as well.
- The Twins touched base with Jim Thome today and still hope to sign their 2010 hero, who slugged over .600 for Minnesota in a revitalized season.
- While the Twins remain in touch with the Royals about Zack Greinke, Neal doesn't see any way Minnesota could acquire the Kansas City ace without bringing a third team into the equation.
Minor Deals: Quinlan, Phillies, Marlins
Some minor league transactions for you as we get ready to kick off another round of overnight coverage here on MLBTR:
- The Phillies have signed longtime Angel Robb Quinlan to a minor league deal, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- The Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Gelb tweets that the Phils have released Jesus Sanchez and Yohan Flande to clear some space on their 40-man roster.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has a list of non-roster invitees for the Marlins, including lefties Darin Downs and Victor Garate, right-hander Frank Mata, former Met Ruben Gotay, infielder Tim Torres,and outfielders Josh Kroeger and Chris Lubanski. As Frisaro points out, the Fish have struck gold in the past with non-roster invitees such as Jorge Cantu, Clay Hensley, and Kiko Calero.
Carl Crawford Rumors: Tuesday
We heard yesterday that the Angels and Tigers are still in on Carl Crawford. GM Tony Reagins said the Jayson Werth deal doesn't affect the way the Angels approach the rest of their offseason, but it wouldn't be surprising if Crawford's camp has nudged its asking price up a little since Sunday. Here's the latest on Crawford, with more updates to follow throughout the day:
- Signing Crawford remains by far the Angels’ top offseason priority, multiple sources tell ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
- The Red Sox are still in on Crawford, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link).
- The Angels are likely to have the money to sign just one of Crawford, Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter link).
- The Tigers aren't involved at Crawford's current asking price, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Sources tell Alex Speier of WEEI.com that it's premature to rule the Red Sox out of the Crawford sweepstakes, which could take some time to develop.
- Not surprisingly, the Angels haven't ruled out a high-profile addition, manager Mike Scioscia tells Yahoo's Steve Henson (Twitter link).
Astros Notes: Rowland-Smith, Hall, Cust, Rodriguez
The Rangers are grabbing all the headlines, but the other Texas team has been busy, too. The latest on the Astros:
- Houston is interested in Ryan Rowland-Smith, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (on Twitter).
- The Astros think they could get more offense from second base and have expressed interest in Bill Hall, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Yankees and Dodgers have also shown interest in Hall this offseason. Clint Barmes and Jeff Keppinger figure to play short and second for the Astros unless GM Ed Wade makes an addition.
- The Astros and Mariners are pushing for Jack Cust, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). Seattle's interested in a number of free agents, including the former A's slugger.
- Hall and Cust are free agents, but the Astros haven't ruled out making a trade or two. Wade told McTaggart that he exchanged trade proposals with teams today, though Houston's advances weren't embraced by rival clubs (Twitter link).
- Wandy Rodriguez changed agents from Barry Praver to Adam Katz, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Rodriguez is set to discuss an extension with Houston.
Market For Russell Martin Intensifying
The market for Russell Martin is intensifying, with three AL East teams showing varying levels of interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all interested in the catcher, who may have other suitors.
The Mets appeared to have interest, but the chances of Sandy Alderson signing Martin seem slim now that the GM has agreed to sign Ronny Paulino. The Dodgers could re-enter the sweepstakes at some point.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported this week that Martin, a Montreal native, would like to sign with an East Coast team (Twitter link).
Cubs Targeting LaRoche, Pena
11:28pm: The Cubs met with Carlos Pena's agent, Scott Boras, again tonight, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago reports that Boras is looking for a two or three-year deal.
2:06pm: The Cubs are targeting first baseman Adam LaRoche and would like to close a deal soon, reports CBS Sports' Scott Miller. The Nationals are known to be in on LaRoche as well. The 31-year-old hit .261/.320/.468 with 25 home runs in 615 plate appearances for the Diamondbacks this year, earning $6MM. His walk rate slipped while his strikeout rate rose.
Both clubs have also been linked to Carlos Pena; Cubs GM Jim Hendry met with Scott Boras on that front but did not exchange dollar figures, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
Cliff Lee Rumors: Tuesday
We heard yesterday that the market for Cliff Lee was beginning to heat up, and that at least one team would be willing to offer Lee a seven-year deal, but it wasn't the Yankees. Here are today's Lee rumors for your reading pleasure:
- It sounds like the Yankees made Lee an offer. Braunecker spoke to Cashman tonight and when the YES Network's Jack Curry asked if the Yankees presented a proposal, the agent declined comment and smiled (Twitter link).
- The Angels reached out to Lee's representatives and started pursuing him today, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Crasnick hears that it's doubtful Lee signs before the Winter Meetings end.
- The Nationals are not in on Lee, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). GM Mike Rizzo said earlier today that he has some interest in the lefty.
- Though GM Tony Reagins downplayed the Angels-Lee connection, Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse hears that the Halos are discussing Lee and will stay in touch with his agent (Twitter link).
- The Yankees are on the verge of making Lee a lucrative offer and are awaiting the go-ahead from Braunecker, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. GM Brian Cashman says he's ready to get serious.
- Lee now has two seven-year offers for $20MM or more per season, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Angels GM Tony Reagins tells Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are not the mystery team that has offered Lee seven years.
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan is more optimistic about signing Lee this week than he was last week, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
- Rizzo confirmed that he met with Lee's agent again, but says the Nationals are a "real long shot" to sign him, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Angels manager Mike Scioscia told Yahoo's Steve Henson that a pitcher like Lee makes a team better (Twitter link).
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo met with Braunecker for the second time this week today, reports Mark Zuckerman.
- A Yankees official told Feinsand that Lee getting seven-year offer "won't affect what we do." They will not go past six years for the lefty. The Yankees are frustrated with the slow pace of the Lee talks, reports Rosenthal.
- Lee has at least one seven-year offer for $20-25MM – not from the Nationals – tweets Heyman.
- Lee's agent Darek Braunecker described his discussions with the Rangers and Yankees as "positive" and "productive," talking to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Braunecker also said he's "maintaining dialogue" with the Nationals.
- The Nationals are prepared to offer Lee a seven-year deal, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. But talking to two Nationals sources, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports that such an offer has zero chance of happening. The contract length is very important to Lee, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. There is growing speculation among rival executives and agents that the Nationals will throw a huge number at Lee, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees have vowed not to exceed six years or the $161MM that they gave Sabathia for Lee. Sherman feels the Yankees will top out at $144MM-$150MM over six years. As GM Brian Cashman said, Sabathia's presence as an ace makes Lee a "pleasant addition," but not a necessity. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports discusses how signing Lee could affect Sabathia.