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Top Korean Pitcher Suk-Min Yoon Will Not Be Posted

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NOVEMBER 16th: Yoon has decided to remain with the Kia Tigers for the 2012 season, according to reports out of Korea (link in Korean).

NOVEMBER 8th: Korean right-hander Suk-min Yoon has hired agent Scott Boras and may be posted in time to spend the 2012 season with a Major League team, according to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. Yoon is the reigning MVP of the Korean Baseball Organization and played in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Boras says he’ll speak with Yoon about entering the posting system. If the 25-year-old decides against the posting system, he’d hit free agency a year from now. Yoon, who throws a 93 mph fastball with a slider and a change, posted a 2.45 ERA with 9.3 K/9 in 172 1/3 innings for the Kia Tigers this season. 

Boras also represents 24-year-old left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu, who posted a 3.36 ERA in 126 innings in Korea this past season. Ryu “can post before next season and would hit free agency in 2014,” Passan writes.

Heath Bell Rumors: Wednesday

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Yesterday, we heard that Heath Bell has become less certain about accepting an arbitration offer from the Padres, and that there were a few East Coast teams interested in the right-hander. Dan Hayes of the North County Times brings us a few more updates on the three-time All-Star today….

  • Bell's decision on an arbitration offer may come down to the final hour. If he doesn't get a contract offer he prefers before the arbitration deadline, he might accept arb.
  • Years are more important to Bell than dollars, and he's hoping to sign a three-year contract.
  • Hayes hears from a source that the Padres are unlikely to commit to more than two years for Bell.
  • If the Padres are unable to retain Bell, they'll look outside the organization for a ninth-inning replacement, according to GM Josh Byrnes.

McLane Confirms Astros Will Move To AL West In 2013

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Drayton McLane confirmed to reporters, including Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link), that the Astros will be moving to the American League West for 2013. McLane added that the Astros' sale is on the agenda for the owners' meetings tomorrow, at which point Jim Crane is expected to be approved as the team's new owner.

More links on the Astros and the rest of the clubs they'll compete with in the NL Central for one more year:

  • McLane said he's "kind of sad" to be moving on, but that the Astros will have a "very good" owner in Crane, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press reports that Major League Baseball told Crane it wouldn't approve his purchase of the Astros unless he agreed to move the team to the AL.
  • The Reds "made good progress" with Brandon Phillips' agent today, though no long-term deal is imminent yet, tweets Jon Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
  • MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has the latest details on the Cubs' managerial search.

NL East Notes: Marlins, Mets, Francisco, Nats, Braves

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Manager Ozzie Guillen says the Marlins are "dead serious" about making a splash in free agency this offseason, and he's not alone. According to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (Twitter link), Marlins president David Samson said that, this winter, "the poachee is becoming the poacher." I think we've found our tagline for the hypothetical Miami Marlins movie. Here are a few more notes on the Marlins' division rivals:

  • The Mets and Frank Francisco's representatives met today, tweets Newsday's Ken Davidoff. GM Sandy Alderson also said that bringing back Jason Isringhausen is possible, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
  • The Nationals don't expect to be in on Ryan Madson or any of the other big-name closers on the market, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. "We have a big closer already," said GM Mike Rizzo, referring to Drew Storen. "Anything can happen. But we like where our bullpen is at. Can we improve the bullpen? Certainly, we could improve the bullpen. But we're really satisfied that we have three guys who are very young, very controllable, very talented."
  • Rizzo also told Kilgore (Twitter link) that there's more trade interest in his players this year than at most previous GM meetings.
  • The Braves have added three minor league pitchers to their 40-man roster, protecting them from the upcoming Rule 5 draft, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

Latest On Yu Darvish

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Although many are considering it a given that Yu Darvish will join the offseason's free agent class in the coming weeks, there's no guarantee that Darvish will be posted, as Yahoo's Jeff Passan wrote yesterday. Passan wonders if the right-hander might end up subtly protest NPB's posting system by remaining in Japan, and spoke to one general manager who has the same worries:

"I’m concerned we're not going to see him for a few more years," said the GM. "He's not your average Japanese player. I get the impression he wants to stand for something."

Here are the rest of the latest Darvish-related notes:

  • Not all GMs are concerned about Darvish staying in Japan. One who has scouted the 25-year-old for years told Passan, "He's coming. The money is too good. He makes [$7MM] there. He'll be guaranteed $50MM or $60MM here."
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman agrees, tweeting that Darvish is still "more likely than not" to be posted.
  • Hal Steinbrenner said the Yankees won't be affected by Kei Igawa's lack of success when deciding whether to bid on Darvish, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
  • Tom Verducci of SI.com cites Igawa and others when looking at some rocky NPB-to-MLB transitions in the past.

C.J. Wilson Rumors: Wednesday

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Bob Garber, the agent for both C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt, has been quite busy at the GM meetings as he's met or plans to meet with the Marlins, Yankees, Royals, Angels, Nationals, Rockies, and Rangers during his time in Milwaukee.  Garber also told MLBTR that he had at least three new meetings scheduled for today.  Here's the latest news surrounding Wilson, with the newest updates up top…

  • Rangers president Nolan Ryan only had good things to say about Wilson today, but didn't sound overly optimistic about re-signing him, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Ryan said of the left-hander: "You know, he was a big part of our team. Any ballclub's going to miss that if they lose it" (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox will meet with Garber tonight, tweets Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter) reports that Wilson is setting his sights high for his next contract, seeking a six-year deal worth close to $120MM.
  • Wilson will start visiting clubs next week and the Angels are among the teams that will get visit, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.  DiGiovanna adds that Garber will have met with ten teams by end of the GM meetings.
  • As we learned yesterday, Garber requested a meeting between Wilson and the Yankees in New York.  Garber is still waiting to hear back from the Yanks, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.
  • The Marlins have interest in both Wilson and Oswalt, but have more interest in Wilson, tweets Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post.

Free Agent Notes: Aramis, Chavez, Counsell, Wakefield

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Let's round up the latest rumors on a few members of this winter's free agent class:

  • Agent Paul Kinzer told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (Twitter link) that, while Aramis Ramirez has a limited market, there are at least two teams very interested in the third baseman.
  • Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports (via Twitter) that Eric Chavez's agent told Yankees GM Brian Cashman his client wants to play in 2012. Presumably, since the call went to Cashman, Chavez has some interest in rejoining the Yanks.
  • Plenty of teams are interested in Craig Counsell for a coaching or front office position, but Counsell hopes to play one more year, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. We heard yesterday that Counsell was listening to both playing and "non-playing" offers.
  • Barry Meister, Tim Wakefield's agent, told reporters today that he and Wakefield have talked about the possibility of the knuckleballer signing with a National League team. Meister added that a lot of clubs have called, but he thinks "it would be a shame" if Wakefield didn't pitch for the Red Sox. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com has a transcript of the conversation.
  • Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes isn't officially a free agent yet, but that didn't stop agent Adam Katz from talking to reporters, including Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, about his client. While there have been some questions about whether Cespedes would need to spend time in the minors, Katz said he believes the 26-year-old is ready for the bigs.

White Sox Notes: Trades, Quentin, Sale

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Recent White Sox notes…

  • GM Kenny Williams won't rule out the possibility of trading both Gavin Floyd and John Danks, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The White Sox GM said he's continuing to lay the groundwork for next month's Winter Meetings, but that some of his fellow GMs are employing a more direct approach this week (Twitter link).
  • "We're not going to make moves unless we get an impact player or impact-type prospects, guys who are close to being ready," Williams explained to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  Williams has received at least one surprising trade proposal in Milwaukee at the GM Meetings.  Danks, Floyd, and Carlos Quentin could be hot commodities around the game.
  • Quentin is fully recovered from a late-season shoulder injury, agent Brodie Van Wagenen told Gonzales.  The 29-year-old right fielder is under team control for one more year, and we project him to earn around $6.6MM in 2012.
  • Chris Sale will be a starting pitcher next season, Williams confirmed to reporters.  The team's 2012 rotation is shaping up to have Jake Peavy, Philip Humber, Sale, and Zach Stewart, with the status of Danks, Floyd, and Mark Buehrle in question.  Buehrle has been very popular so far this offseason.

Ozzie: Marlins “Dead Serious” About Contract Offers

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Many people around the industry are skeptical about whether the Marlins are sincere about their intent to go all-in on free agents this offseason, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, manager Ozzie Guillen wants to assure any doubters that the Marlins are "dead serious" about making a splash.

“This is for real,” Guillen told Rosenthal. “I don’t think this is a marketing thing. This is what [the Marlins] want. They’re trying to improve as quickly as they can…. It’s not to show, ‘We’re trying, but we’re not going to do anything.’”

Rosenthal confirms yesterday's report that the Marlins offered Albert Pujols a nine-year contract. While he's not sure about the dollar amount, he hears it's "substantial." Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post reported this afternoon that the total amount of the offer is under $200MM.

The Marlins have also extended formal offers to Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Ryan Madson, according to Rosenthal. Considering how many players the Marlins are pursuing, the team is prepared to increase its payroll significantly for 2012. According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), club president David Samson said today that he doesn't expect player salaries to exceed $100MM next season, but "you never know."

Giants Attempting To Extend Matt Cain

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While we heard earlier today that the Giants are more focused on a long-term extension for Tim Lincecum than fellow starter Matt Cain, team president Larry Baer says the club is trying to lock up Matt Cain as well, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. Heyman adds that the Giants may prefer deals of approximately four years.

Here are a few other items of interest from the National League West:

  • The Padres are preparing for the Rule 5 draft with some minor moves. They've requested waivers on Alberto Gonzalez, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter link), and will remove Jeremy Hermida from the roster later in the week, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter).
  • Rusty Ryal signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks after having spent a year in Japan, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter).
  • The Rockies met with Milton Bradley's agents today, tweets Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.

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