Kevin Gregg Has Multiple Offers
Kevin Gregg is drawing strong interest on potential multiyear deals and has offers from the Red Sox, Pirates, and Nationals, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The Red Sox have offers out to a number of relievers other than Gregg, according to Rosenthal. They're known to be interested in Scott Downs, Matt Guerrier and Pedro Feliciano.
Rosenthal reports that the Orioles and Mariners are also in the mix for Gregg, who has also drawn interest from the Rockies. The Blue Jays will obtain a draft pick for losing Gregg, a Type B free agent.
Prince Fielder Rumors: Tuesday
Nothing's cooking with the Brewers on a potential Prince Fielder trade, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. We'll keep you updated here anyway.
- The Brewers fielded calls from the White Sox, Dodgers and Orioles on Prince, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). They know they can't sign the slugger long-term.
- The Orioles have had talks with the Brewers for Fielder, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. He says they're only talks right now, and the O's would want an extension before giving up young pitching for Fielder. Haudricourt says these talks did not go beyond preliminary discussions.
The Asking Price For Guerrier, Crain
3:46pm: Guerrier's agent informed Miller that his report was inaccurate (Twitter link). Guerrier is not looking for a Benoit-like contract.
3:15pm: Emboldened by Joaquin Benoit's $16.5MM deal with the Tigers, Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain are looking for similar contracts, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com. Like Benoit, Crain (a Type B free agent) and Guerrier (who wasn't offered arbitration) can be signed without surrendering a draft pick. The former Twins are durable and effective, so they're drawing interest from multiple teams.
Despite the Benoit deal, clubs are reluctant to hand middle relievers multiyear deals worth $5MM per season. One NL GM told Miller that there's "no way in hell" he'd endorse that kind of signing. Red Sox GM Theo Epstein recently told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that some deals are exceptions and don't necessarily represent the market.
"Sometimes when there’s a contract that exceeds expectations early, it can embolden players and agents within that subset of players who have a similar resume,” Epstein said. “Time will tell whether they get attached to that contract or it’s an outlier contract.”
Brandon Lyon signed a three-year, $15MM deal at the Winter Meetings last year before the market settled and comparable relievers signed for less guaranteed money.
Cardinals, Mariners, Athletics Interested In Zaun
TUESDAY, 2:52pm: The Athletics are also in on Zaun, tweets John Hickey of AOL Fanhouse.
MONDAY, 4:48pm: Gregg Zaun is on the Cardinals' radar, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). However, the team hasn't spoken to Zaun's representatives so far at the Winter Meetings. Earlier today, Yahoo's Tim Brown named the Mariners and Cardinals as possible suitors for the veteran catcher (Twitter link).
Zaun missed the second half of the 2010 season after undergoing surgery on his right labrum in June. Zaun, 40 in April, should still be able to reach base if healthy; he has a career .344 on base percentage and posted a .350 OBP before getting hurt this summer. Last month, Zaun said he would prefer to return to the Rays.
Yankees, White Sox Interested In Kerry Wood?
2:15pm: The White Sox-Wood rumor was "just blown up by a source," tweets Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
11:06am: The Yankees and White Sox are interested in free agent reliever Kerry Wood, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Yankees want to take care of Cliff Lee first, while the Sox must address Paul Konerko.
The Orioles and Cubs have previously been linked to Wood, who finished strong with the Yankees despite some control issues.
Royals Seeking Right-Handed Hitting Outfielder
Like many clubs, the Royals are seeking a right-handed hitting outfielder. They're considering multiple ex-Braves, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Consitution: Jeff Francoeur, Matt Diaz, Melky Cabrera, and Andruw Jones. Diaz, of course, was with the Royals first.
Pirates Inquired On Orlando Cabrera
1:04pm: Though they inquired, the Pirates are not interested in Cabrera tweets Kovacevic.
9:48am: The Pirates at least inquired on free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Bucs seek an upgrade on incumbent Ronny Cedeno, but I'm not sure Cabrera qualifies.
The Pirates have also been linked to Jason Bartlett, Brendan Ryan, and J.J. Hardy.
Padres, Mariners, D’Backs In On Jorge Cantu
Free agent infielder Jorge Cantu is generating interest from the Padres, Mariners, and Diamondbacks, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
Cantu, 29 in January, had a rough year for the Marlins and Rangers in 2010. He hit .256/.304/.392 in 515 plate appearances, logging time at the infield corners.
Brandon Webb Rumors: Tuesday
Things are heating up for free agent starter Brandon Webb. The latest:
- Webb's agent will meet with the Cubs again this afternoon, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
- The Nationals will meet with Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer soon, MLBTR has learned.
- The Rangers met last night with Maurer, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse. The agent also spoke with the Cubs last night, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
Dodgers Looked At Diaz, Francoeur, Hall
The Dodgers could sign a right-handed hitting outfielder this week, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, and they've looked at Matt Diaz, Jeff Francoeur, and Bill Hall. Pure speculation: perhaps Austin Kearns and Scott Hairston will come up as well. The Dodgers could make Xavier Paul available after signing an outfielder, tweets Morosi.
MLB.com's Ken Gurnick first reported the Dodgers' interest in Diaz yesterday; he has many suitors and may sign this week. I assume the Rockies are now out on Hall after signing Ty Wigginton; his other known suitor is the Yankees. The Rockies, Royals, and Phillies have been linked to Francoeur.