D’Backs Close To Acquiring Cahill, Breslow
5:41pm: Neither Miley nor Borchering is involved in the trade, tweets Piecoro.
5:22pm: Arizona may also send left-hander Wade Miley to Oakland along with Parker and Cowgill, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Snakes selected Miley in the supplemental first round in 2008.
As well, the D'Backs made minor league corner infielder Bobby Borchering available during the Winter Meetings, according to Piecoro, though he's not sure if the 21-year-old is part of this potential deal (Twitter).
4:20pm: A D'Backs source says the two sides are still "talking names" and that nothing has been finalized, tweets Piecoro, who adds that it does sound like something is close.
4:02pm: The deal is Cahill and Craig Breslow in exchange for Parker, Collin Cowgill and other prospects, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the trade is still "fluid" so more names could be involved.
3:42pm: The Diamondbacks are "closing in" on a trade with the Athletics that would send Trevor Cahill to Arizona in exchange for a prospect, reports John Gambadoro of Sports 620 KTAR in Phoenix (Twitter link). Gambadoro says the prospect isn't Trevor Bauer or Tyler Skaggs (Twitter links).
We heard yesterday from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Cahill had been mentioned in talks between the D'Backs and A's. Gio Gonzalez's name also came up between the two teams, with Rosenthal noting that the Snakes would need to deal Skaggs to get Gonzalez, but Cahill could be had for a lesser price. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic mentioned yesterday that "it's believed that [the D'Backs] focus" was on Cahill and mentioned Jarrod Parker as a candidate to go to Oakland in the swap.
Quick Hits: Felix, Cuddyer, Dotel, Phillies
A round-up of news from around the majors….
- The Mariners will be hard-pressed to contend with AL West superpowers like the Rangers and Angels, but Larry Stone of the Seattle Times argues the club shouldn't think about trading Felix Hernandez. Stone thinks such a deal would cause a "backlash" among M's fans and "there's still plenty of time to consider a Hernandez trade down the road if the Mariners' situation gets more dire."
- Michael Cuddyer was frustrated by the negativity surrounding the Twins last season and isn't sure if the team will be able to contend in the near future, reports Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 Radio. The Twins have had a three-year, $24-$25MM offer on the table to Cuddyer for the last few days and the Rockies may also be willing to go to three years for the veteran. Mackey speculates the Cardinals could check in on Cuddyer to help fill the void left by Albert Pujols.
- Octavio Dotel tells MLB.com's Jason Beck that his choice of teams came down to the Tigers and the Brewers. Dotel says the Padres were also interested in signing him as a setup man.
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki has contract details for a number of new Phillies, most notably Jonathan Papelbon.
- Carlos Beltran hasn't gotten much attention this winter, and Fangraphs' Eric Seidman names seven teams who could be a fit for the free agent outfielder.
- Nick Punto is "at or near [the] top" of the Braves' list of backup infield options, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter).
- A rival executive tells FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi (Twitter link) that the Mets won't trade David Wright. "He’s more valuable to them than he would be to any other team," the exec says.
Nationals, Tigers Swap Collin Balester For Ryan Perry
The Nationals have traded right-hander Collin Balester to the Tigers in exchange for another right-hander, Ryan Perry. The Tigers just announced the move via a team press release.
Balester, 25, has posted a 9.8 K/9 rate over the last two seasons but also has given up a lot of hits (8.4 H/9) and walks (4.0 BB) in that span. Balester is yet another right-hander in a Tigers bullpen that also features Jose Valverde, Joaquin Benoit, Al Alburquerque and the newly-signed Octavio Dotel.
Perry, who turns 25 in February, was taken by Detroit with the 21st overall pick of the 2008 draft. After two solid seasons in relief in 2009-10, Perry struggled to a 5.35 ERA in 37 innings last season and only recorded 24 strikeouts against 21 walks.
Diamondbacks Sign Lyle Overbay
The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with first baseman Lyle Overbay on a one-year deal worth $1MM, the team has announced. Overbay is represented by Octagon.
Overbay began last year in Pittsburgh on a one-year deal worth $5MM, but was released after batting just .227/.300/.349. He latched on with the Diamondbacks down the stretch and hit a solid .286/.388/.452 in 49 plate appearances.
Jon Heyman of the MLB Network was the first to announce the two sides had agreed to terms. Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona first reported that the D'Backs had made an offer, while MLB.com's Steve Gilbert added that the two sides were nearing a deal.
Padres Acquire Huston Street
The Padres found their Heath Bell replacement, acquiring closer Huston Street from the division-rival Rockies for minor league left-hander Nick Schmidt. The Rockies have officially announced the trade. The Rockies are eating $1MM on Street's $8MM salary, tweets Joel Sherman. MLB.com's Thomas Harding tweeted the agreement, Joel Sherman tweeted when it became official, and Danny Knobler, Scott Miller, and Buster Olney contributed to the breaking story.
Street, 28, posted a 3.86 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 1.4 BB/9, 1.54 HR/9, and 34.9% groundball rate in 58 1/3 innings for the Rockies this year, saving 29 games in 33 attempts. The move to Petco Park should help Street's home run rate, and if he has a big year he could decline his $9MM player option for 2013 and test the open market. Street had a DL stint for triceps soreness in August, during which the Rockies realized Rafael Betancourt could be an effective closer. The move appears to be mostly a salary dump for Colorado, and the team now has more money to pursue a starting pitcher such as Hiroki Kuroda. For fantasy analysis of the deal, check out Bryan Grosnick's latest at CloserNews.
Schmidt, 26, was drafted 23rd overall by San Diego in the 2007 draft. The southpaw has yet to pitch beyond the high Class A level, posting a 4.61 ERA and an 8.00 K/9 rate in four pro seasons. Schmidt underwent ligament replacement surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2008 season.
This marks Josh Byrnes' second trade since taking over as Padres GM, as he acquired catcher John Baker from Miami in November.
Phillies Sign Bush, Lerud, Purcey To Minors Deals
The Phillies have signed Dave Bush, Steven Lerud and David Purcey to minor league contracts, the team announced. All three players will be invited to Major League spring training camp as non-roster players.
Bush, 32, signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia last August and posted decent numbers in four starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Bush is an eight-year Major League veteran, playing for the Blue Jays, Brewers and Rangers during his career.
Lerud, a catcher, has played eight seasons in the Pirates and Orioles' farm systems with a career OPS of .665. He has spent the majority of this time in Double-A ball, briefly cracking the Triple-A level in 2010.
Purcey, drafted 16th overall by the Blue Jays in 2004, was well-traveled in 2011, going from Toronto to Oakland and finally to Detroit in a six-week span. The left-hander has a 5.38 ERA in 87 career Major League games, 21 of them starts.
Minor Moves: Bianchi, Threets, Gallagher, Atilano
Here are some of the day's minor transactions…
- The Cubs have acquired minor league infielder Jeff Bianchi on a waiver claim, the team announced. Bianchi was designated for assignment by the Royals last week to make room for Jonathan Broxton on their 40-man roster. Bianchi was a second-round pick for K.C. in the 2005 draft and has yet to reach the majors, though he missed close to two full seasons recovering from a torn labrum (2006) and reconstuctive elbow surgery (2010).
- The Athletics have signed left-hander Erick Threets to a minor league deal, tweets Matthew Eddy of Baseball America. Threets, 30, last pitched in the Majors in 2010, throwing 12.1 scoreless relief innings for the White Sox.
- The Reds signed right-handers Luis Atilano and Sean Gallagher to minor league deals, reports Eddy.
- The Brewers have signed catcher Mike Rivera to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The deal includes an invitation to the Brewers' big league spring training camp and is worth $500K if Rivera makes the Major League roster. Rivera, 35, has spent five of the last six years in the Brewers' organization and will provide the club with extra catching depth.
- The Rangers signed Alberto Gonzalez to a minor league contract with an invite to the Major League spring training camp, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Gonzalez was released by the Padres last month. The utility infielder has a career .242/.281/.317 line in 908 Major League plate appearances over five seasons with the Padres, Nationals and Yankees.
- The Yankees have designated Colin Curtis for assignment, tweets MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. The move creates space on New York's 40-man roster for Freddy Garcia, whose signing was made official today. Curtis, a fourth-round draft pick in 2006, has 64 Major League plate appearances to his name.
Poll: Where Will Prince Fielder Sign?
With Albert Pujols now off the market, Prince Fielder is the biggest free agent still available. It's been a hard market to gauge for Fielder — a quick look at the big man's MLBTR page shows several teams with an interest, but seemingly just as many posts arguing why those same teams are seemingly shying away from giving Fielder the eight- or nine-year, $200MM contract he and Scott Boras are trying to find.
Boras' recent statements about his client are, unsurprisingly, a best-case scenario about Fielder's ability and what he can bring to a new team, as MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith observed. Is there a team willing to look past Fielder's weight, defensive shortcomings and likelihood of a decline in the latter years of a long-term contract and instead focus on the fact that he's one of the game's very best sluggers? Where do you think Fielder will play in 2012?
Where Will Prince Fielder Sign?
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Chicago Cubs 24% (9,199)
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Seattle Mariners 14% (5,289)
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Texas Rangers 11% (4,269)
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Toronto Blue Jays 10% (3,904)
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St. Louis Cardinals 9% (3,634)
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Milwaukee Brewers 7% (2,804)
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Miami Marlins 7% (2,700)
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Washington Nationals 6% (2,196)
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Baltimore Orioles 5% (1,836)
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Los Angeles Dodgers 4% (1,544)
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Other 4% (1,373)
Total votes: 38,748
Marlins Designate Clay Hensley For Assignment
The Marlins have designated right-hander Clay Hensley for assignment, reports Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Hensley was considered to be a non-tender candidate by MLBTR's Tim Dierkes, given how the righty was going through arbitration for a second time and looked to earn a raise from his $1.4MM salary.
Hensley posted a 5.19 ERA in 37 games (nine of them starts) for Miami last year and also had two stints on the disabled list. As a full-time reliever in 2010, Hensley enjoyed a brilliant season with the Marlins and even got some work closing games. If healthy, Hensley could be a valuable right-handed asset to a team's bullpen, so it's possible another club might put in a claim.
Marlins Notes: Hanley, Morrison, Pujols, Fielder
The Marlins held an introductory press conference for Mark Buehrle today, and here are a few hot stove details from those proceedings and beyond…
- The Marlins have "poked around in the market" to see what interest there would be in Hanley Ramirez, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The team claimed Ramirez wouldn't be dealt in the wake of Jose Reyes' signing but even coming off a down year, Ramirez would be a big trade chip.
- Logan Morrison is "drawing more trade interest" than any other Miami player, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Still, it is "highly, highly unlikely" Morrison is sent elsewhere.
- Team president David Samson denied reports that the Marlins offered Albert Pujols a near-record contract, saying the club's offer was worth a bit more than $200MM, tweets Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported yesterday that Miami offered Pujols a ten-year, $275MM deal that could have ultimately been worth $300MM with incentives and because Florida has no state income tax.
- When asked if the club would pursue Prince Fielder, owner Jeffrey Loria replied "Oh, I don't know about that. We'll see," reports Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. In another tweet, Capozzi hears from a source that the Marlins never had interest in Fielder.
- Juan C. Rodriguez reports the Marlins also aren't interested in free agent starter Edwin Jackson (Twitter link).
- The Marlins are planning to have internal discussions about an extension for Mike Stanton, Capozzi reports (via Twitter). There is no time frame, however, as the club is waiting until "after [the] dust settles" on their busy offseason. Stanton is already under team control through 2016 and doesn't reach arbitration for two more years.
- MLB.com's Anthony DiComo details the incentive clauses and the year-by-year breakdown of Jose Reyes' six-year deal. Reyes will earn $10MM in each of the next two seasons, $16MM in 2014, and then $22MM in each of the final three guaranteed seasons. The Marlins have a $22MM team option on Reyes for 2018 that can be bought out for $4MM.