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Heyman On Greinke, Pettitte, Astros, Guerrero

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An acquaintance of Zack Greinke's told Jon Heyman of SI.com that the 2009 Cy Young Award winner is "ready" to leave Kansas City. Yahoo's Jeff Passan reported that Greinke's priority is winning, but that doesn't mean we'll see him in Yankee pinstripes. The pitcher's friends say New York would not be a good fit. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

  • People close to Andy Pettitte tell Heyman the lefty would prefer to remain a Yankee.
  • Just about everyone expects Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees or Rangers, but Heyman says a couple clubs are "laying in the weeds." The Astros are one team with quiet interest.
  • As much as the Rangers want Vladimir Guerrero back, they seem reluctant to give him a multiyear deal.
  • The Dodgers will try to sign Russell Martin by tomorrow's non-tender deadline.

Mariners To Non-Tender Jose Lopez

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The Mariners will non-tender Jose Lopez tomorrow, according to Mike Salk of 710 ESPN Seattle. The M's declined their option for Lopez earlier in the offseason and were not expected to offer the infielder a contract through the arbitration process.

The 27-year-old batted .239/.270/.339 in 622 plate appearances last year and saw his homer total drop from 25 to 10. Lopez has typically displayed more pop than he showed in 2010, but he has always had trouble reaching base, as his career .297 OBP shows. Lopez, who is eligible for free agency after 2011, played third last year, but has spent most of his career at second base. The Rockies have some interest in signing him. 

Click here to check out our new non-tender tracker.

Optimism Between Jeter, Yankees

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WEDNESDAY, 10:59am: It appears that the Yankees told Jeter they'll raise their opening $45MM bid to the $50MM range, according to Heyman (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 10:28pm: The Yankees and Derek Jeter are becoming optimistic about reaching a new deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The sides are having conversations designed to kickstart an agreement, Heyman reports.

Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reported earlier tonight that agent Casey Close recently reached out to the Yankees to move negotiations forward. Both sides are in Tampa, where they met today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Just last week, the sides appeared to be tens of millions of dollars apart and GM Brian Cashman encouraged Jeter to test the open market. It seems likely that the shortstop will return to the Bronx, but that hasn't stopped Beckett from imagining what Jeter would look like in all 29 other uniforms.

Non-Tender Candidates Revised

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MLBTR named 85 non-tender candidates back on November 2nd.  Since then, 23 of those players were cut loose early.  A couple more have signed new deals or been traded.  Here's an updated list of our speculative non-tender candidates for Thursday night's deadline.  Non-tendering a player makes him a free agent.  Be sure to bookmark our new non-tender tracker, as it will be constantly updated as decisions roll in.   

Position players

Willy Aybar
Travis Buck
Ryan Church
Jack Cust
Matt Diaz
Edwin Encarnacion
Josh Fields
Mike Fontenot
Kevin Frandsen
Alberto Gonzalez
Tony Gwynn
Scott Hairston
J.J. Hardy
Joe Inglett
Conor Jackson
Dan Johnson
Kevin Kouzmanoff
Fred Lewis
James Loney
Jose Lopez
Russell Martin
Jeff Mathis
Dioner Navarro
Wil Nieves
Augie Ojeda
Ronny Paulino
Brayan Pena
Jason Repko
Reggie Willits
Josh Wilson

Pitchers

Jeremy Accardo
Matt Albers
Blaine Boyer
Jared Burton
D.J. Carrasco
Todd Coffey
Clay Condrey
Lance Cormier
Kyle Davies
Manny Delcarmen
Zach Duke
J.P. Howell
Bobby Jenks
Jeff Karstens
Jensen Lewis
John Maine
Dustin McGowan
Dustin Moseley
Pat Neshek
Dustin Nippert
Hideki Okajima
Tony Pena
Glen Perkins
Chris Ray
George Sherrill
Joe Smith
Chien-Ming Wang

What We Learned: This Week’s Arbitration Decisions

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Type A relievers Frank Francisco and Jason Frasor were the only ranked free agents to accept their teams' offers of arbitration yesterday. Here's what we learned from last night's decisions:

The Facts

  • 12 of 14 Type A free agents turned down arbitration (86%).
  • 21 of 21 Type B free agents turned down arbitration (100%).
  • In total, 33 of 35 ranked free agents turned down arbitration (94%).
  • If you haven't done so already, click here for an explanation of how free agent compensation works, click here to check out our arbitration offer tracker and click here to read what we learned about the offers themselves.

What This Says About The Market

  • It says teams are willing to spend and players know it. Players see lots of multiyear deals on the open market and are seeking long-term commitments instead of the security of a deal through the arbitration process.
  • Though the market's generally good, Type A relievers still have a hard time convincing teams to surrender draft picks for them. Type A setup men like Juan Cruz have had trouble landing contracts in recent years, so Frasor and Francisco chose the security of their teams' offers.
  • But one Type A setup man is taking his chances in free agency. Grant Balfour declined arbitration and told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he's confident his Type A status won't prevent him from signing a multi-year deal.

What To Expect In 2010 And 2011

  • The supplementary first round will be longer than usual in 2011, a strong draft year.
  • Some teams could be drafting early and often next June. The Padres and White Sox could gain three picks, the Twins could add four and the Red Sox and Blue Jays could pick up five extra selections apiece. The real winners could be the Rays, who stand to pick up as many as ten extra draft choices next year.

Non-Tender Notes: Zumaya, Green

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Thursday's deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players is approaching quickly. Here's the latest on a pair of non-tender candidates:

  • The Tigers are expected to tender Joel Zumaya a contract and may reach a deal with the reliever before long, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Zumaya told Beck that his agents have started discussing a contract with the Tigers. The non-tender candidate earned $915K in 2010 and, assuming the Tigers don't cut him loose this week, he will hit free agency after the 2011 season.
  • Sean Green's agent tells Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork that he's optimistic the 31-year-old will be tendered a contract this week (Twitter link). Green missed most of the season because of a ribcage injury, but logged over 200 innings out of the 'pen from 2007-09.
  • Click here for an explanation of what it means to non-tender a player.

Jason Bartlett Rumors: Tuesday

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10:55pm: The Giants are not in on Bartlett, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (on Twitter). 

10:00pm: The Giants and Cardinals both added infielders today, but haven't completely ruled out acquiring Bartlett, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Bartlett, a long shot for the Giants, would be insurance in case Pablo Sandoval's struggles continue.

8:59pm: The Giants are one of several clubs engaging the Rays in trade talks about Bartlett even after reaching a deal with Miguel Tejada, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.

5:00pm: The Giants are "wide open" on their options at short, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). They've considered Bartlett, Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera and Marco Scutaro. Meanwhile, an Orioles source tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that the Rays and O's aren't moving closer to a deal involving Bartlett.

TUESDAY, 3:45pm: The Giants have become one of the most serious suitors for Bartlett, according to Rosenthal and Morosi.

MONDAY, 5:40pm: The Rays are moving closer to trading Jason Bartlett, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The reporters’ sources say the Dodgers’ deal with Juan Uribe accelerated trade talks. The Cardinals, Padres, Giants, Orioles and Pirates have all expressed interest in Bartlett, who is arbitration eligible for the third and final time this offseason.

The Rays appear to be looking for bullpen help in any trade involving Bartlett. If they do trade the 31-year-old, they’ll likely replace him with Reid Brignac, who played 50 games at short in 2010 and posted a higher OPS than Bartlett (.692 vs. .675). 

Bartlett slumped to .254/.324/.350 in 2010 after an All-Star season in 2009, but his career line (.281/.345/.385) suggests he's capable of more offense. He earned $4MM in 2010 and will likely earn over $5MM through arbitration in 2011.

American League Free Agent Arbitration Decisions

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23 American League free agents were offered arbitration on November 23rd.  Four of those - Joaquin Benoit, John Buck, Victor Martinez, and Javier Vazquez - already have new contract agreements.  Current free agent Kevin Gregg has chosen to decline.  The remaining 18 AL free agents offered arbitration will have their decisions noted here and in our tracker.

National League Free Agent Arbitration Decisions

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12 National League free agents were offered arbitration on November 23rd.  Four of those – Jorge de la Rosa, Jon Garland, Yorvit Torrealba, and Juan Uribe – have new contract agreements.  Another three – Kevin Correia, Octavio Dotel, and Trevor Hoffman – have already decided to decline.  The remaining five NL free agents offered arbitration will have their decisions noted here and in our tracker.

Giants Notes: Jeter, Fontenot, Uribe, Tejada

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The Giants have agreed to a deal with Miguel Tejada and may still be pursuing a deal for Jason Bartlett. Here's the latest on GM Brian Sabean's search for infielders:

  • The Giants contacted Derek Jeter's agent, according to the Wall Street Journal, but Brian Sabean explained to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that team's discussions with Casey Close revolved around another client, Mike Fontenot. (Twitter link). Fontenot, a non-tender candidate, would earn over $1MM next winter if the Giants tender him a contract. 
  • Before the Dodgers signed former Giant Juan Uribe, San Francisco offered the infielder a three-year deal worth $20MM, according to Schulman (on Twitter). That's $1MM less than the Dodgers offered and $5MM less than Uribe was asking for.
  • The Giants weren't the only NL West team to lose an infielder to a division rival this week. The Padres spoke to Miguel Tejada's agent today, but weren't willing and/or able to match the Giants' $6.5MM offer, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter). 

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