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Red Sox Notes: Nishioka, Ortiz, Kelly, Doubront

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Some items about a team that will likely be very busy this winter…

  • The Red Sox are "undecided" about a bid for Tsuyoshi Nishioka, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford.  There was some debate earlier in the week whether or not Boston is interested in the Japanese infielder, and Bradford speculates that the Sox might not bother posting a bid given how Jose Iglesias is positioned to be their shortstop of the future.
  • David Ortiz is "fine" with not getting an extension from the Red Sox though he still feels his strong 2010 season was deserving of a multi-year deal, reports ESPNBoston.com's Jackie MacMullan.  In thinly veiled references to his own situation, Ortiz predicts Vladimir Guerrero will re-sign with Texas for "more than one year, too" and wants Derek Jeter "to get rewarded for all he had done for [the Yankees]."
  • ESPN's Keith Law was a guest on WEEI's Minor Details podcast, and WEEI.com's Alex Speier has a partial transcript of Law's Boston-related comments.  Law is very complimentary of Boston's minor league system, saying that they have the variety of prospects necessary to fit the needs of about 20 other teams.   
  • When asked about a potential Adrian Gonzalez deal, Law says he wouldn't be willing to send a top prospect like Casey Kelly to San Diego since Gonzalez is just under contract through 2011.  "Casey Kelly is not untouchable for me, but he’s pretty darn close to it," Law said.  "I don’t think I’d trade Casey Kelly for one year of Adrian Gonzalez, and I love Adrian Gonzalez.”
  • Law calls Felix Doubront and Jed Lowrie "very valuable secondary piece[s]" to a trade given that both players can immediately join a major league roster.  Law cites the Padres and Pirates as "a great fit" for a pitcher like Doubront.

Colletti On Martin, Bullpen, Payroll, Crawford

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Dodgers GM Ned Colletti discussed some of his team's offseason plans with Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio's "Inside Pitch" this afternoon.  Bowden passed along some of Colletti's more pertinent comments via Twitter…

Braves Rumors: Uggla, Prado, Hinske, Diaz

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Dan Uggla is now officially a Brave and David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that both Uggla and the club are both interested in giving Uggla the extension he couldn't get from Florida.  Atlanta GM Frank Wren said the Braves are willing to talk about a long-term contract but not immediately: “I don’t see any reason not to do [an extension]. I mean, we knew what we were getting when we made the deal, and he was the top guy on our list. But I just don’t think we need to jump into things right now.” 

O'Brien explains how the Uggla trade talks developed and what's next for the team (links go to Twitter):

  • The Marlins asked for Martin Prado in exchange for Uggla two weeks ago, but Braves GM Frank Wren said no. He offered Omar Infante, whom Larry Beinfest accepted, along with Mike Dunn, for Uggla.
  • Uggla will wear the #26 jersey formerly worn by Brooks Conrad, but this doesn't mean the Braves will be getting rid of Conrad this winter.
  • The Braves have offered free agent Eric Hinske a contract.  MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports the offer is a one-year contract worth $1.5MM.
  • The club has not yet decided whether to tender Matt Diaz a contract. Arbitration eligible for the fourth time, the outfielder is a non-tender candidate.
  • The Braves sent minor league outfielder Cody Johnson to the Yankees for cash considerations, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter). The 2006 first-rounder batted .189/.269/.343 in 260 plate appearances at Double-A this year. Johnson, 22, hit 32 homers in 2009 and 26 homers in 2008, so he has some pop.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post.

McLane Puts Astros Up For Sale

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Drayton McLane, who bought the Astros in 1992, officially announced his decision to put the team up for sale. The Astros have posted the fourth-best record in the National League since McLane bought the team and reached the 2005 World Series under his ownership. The Astros, who played in the Astrodome when McLane purchased the team, moved into Minute Maid Park in 2000.

The Astros don't figure to be big spenders this offseason, so it seems unlikely that the sale will impact the organization's offseason moves. However, uncertain ownership situations can handcuff teams, as fans of Texas' other MLB team know well.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle that he isn't interested in buying the Astros (Twitter link).

Odds & Ends: Rangers, Greinke, Ordonez, Rays

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Links for Friday, exactly one year after the Cubs signed John Grabow and traded Aaron Heilman to Arizona…

  • Vladimir Guerrero is talking to the Rangers and three other AL teams, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • Heyman reports that Bengie Molina wants to play another year (Twitter link).
  • Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. suggested that Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth are comparable hitters, according to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News. That's probably not the first comparison agent Scott Boras would make about Werth.
  • An AL executive explained to Sherman that he believes the Royals will trade Zack Greinke sooner rather than later for two reasons: the demand for ace-level starters is high and the Royals don’t want to see a personal or physical issue reduce Greinke’s value.
  • Boras tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Magglio Ordonez has finished rehabilitating his fractured right ankle and "returned to full workout routines"
  • Rays president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman tells Cork Gaines of Rays Index that he's likely to hold onto his starting pitching because it's so hard to come by.

Orioles Have Some Interest In Nishioka, De La Rosa

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The Orioles aren’t as interested in Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Jorge de la Rosa as it may seem. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun hears that the O’s have not decided whether to bid on Nishioka, since the posting fee and contract could make the infielder prohibitively expensive. Earlier today, a Japanese report suggested the Orioles had decided to place a bid on Nishioka.

The Denver Post reported this week that the Nationals, Pirates and Orioles have pursued De La Rosa most aggressively, but Zrebiec says the O’s have just “tepid” interest in the lefty.

The Orioles have had multiple conversations with Koji Uehara’s representatives and, according to MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli, are active in trade discussions, too (Twitter link). Baltimore appears to be considering potential deals for a shortstop.

New York Notes: Jeter, Minaya, Rivera

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The Yankees are about to offer their captain a three-year deal worth $45MM. Here's the latest on Derek Jeter, the Yankees and the Mets:

  • Bill Madden of the New York Daily News says Jeter is about to learn that more often than not the Yankees are willing to pay more for someone else's free agent than for their own.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Jeter and the Yankees "are a married couple that knows the soft spots with which to hurt each other. Yet they know the marriage must go on."
  • The D'Backs have offered a front office job to former Mets GM Omar Minaya, according to Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal (on Twitter).
  • Mariano Rivera has told friends he'd like a two-year deal from the Yankees, but the sides have not yet discussed contract terms, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
  • The Yankees announced the hiring of Larry Rothschild as their new pitching coach today.  Rothschild has been the pitching coach for the Cubs and Marlins, and was also Tampa Bay's first-ever manager.

Yankees To Offer Jeter $45MM For Three Years

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The Yankees are about to offer Derek Jeter a three-year deal worth $45MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported yesterday that the Yankees would likely make such an offer to their captain.

Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork reported earlier in the week that Jeter wants at least a four-year deal and would prefer a five or six-year contract. He also reported that the Yankees would be happy to agree to a three-year $63MM deal. Some have suggested that the Yankees could play hardball with Jeter if he doesn't like their offer and tell him to test the open market and see if he does better.

Yankees Interested In J.C. Romero

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The Yankees are interested in left-hander J.C. Romero, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The longtime Phillie has also drawn interest from the Tigers, though they don't necessarily need to add a left-handed reliever.

Romero, 34, kept his ERA under 4.00 for a fourth consecutive season in 2010, pitching to a 3.68 mark in 36 2/3 innings. He gets lots of groundballs and is effective against left-handed hitters, but his free agent value will likely be limited. Romero struggles against right-handed hitters, he walked more batters (29) than he struck out (28) in 2010 and he dealt with elbow and back soreness.

The Yankees are also interested in Pedro Feliciano and, potentially, Scott Downs. Teams will not have to surrender 2011 draft choices to sign Feliciano or Romero, but Downs may cost a pick.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Uggla, Rollins, Giants, Upton

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On this date 20 years ago, a 26-year-old Barry Bonds took home his first National League MVP Award thanks to a .301/.406/.565 season with the Pirates. He went on to win the award again in 1992, his final season in Pittsburgh, and then five more times with the Giants. The latter part of Bonds' career was clouded by PED allegations, but he did hit .301/.424/.566 in his final three seasons with the Pirates and .305/.438/.600 with far more unintentional walks (825) than strikeouts (685) from 1990-1998, age 26-34. Barry could have retired at that point and waltzed into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Here's a look at the best the baseball blogosphere had to offer this week…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

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