AL West Notes: Hernandez, Mariners, Angels, Barajas
Here's a look at a few items out of the American League West..
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has no intentions to trade Felix Hernandez and the organization plans to build around the 25-year-old right-hander, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The Angels called to express interest in Rod Barajas after he had already committed to the Pirates, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Angels announced that former big leaguer Hal Morris has agreed to terms on a multi-year contract to become the team's director of pro scouting, writes Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times. After retiring as a player Morris scouted amateur players from 2008-2009 for the Pirates before joining the Red Sox in 2010.
Tigers Notes: Ellis, Hill, Molina, Laird
The Tigers had already locked up Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta, Joaquin Benoit and Victor Martinez by November 23rd of last year. Here’s the latest on the team as they start the current offseason more quietly…
- The Tigers seem to believe they can find help via trades, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. The club has given up a lot in the past but they are willing to deal anyone but their top minor league prospects.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press that the Tigers didn’t offer contracts to Mark Ellis, Jamey Carroll or Aaron Hill, three middle infielders who recently signed two-year deals. Should the Tigers pursue free agent middle infielders such as Clint Barmes or Kelly Johnson, they’d likely be looking at a two-year commitment given the deals we’ve seen so far and the number of teams with openings at second or short.
- The Tigers are considering Jose Molina, Matt Treanor, Ramon Castro and former Tiger Gerald Laird as possible backup catchers, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). All four backstops are free agents who could give Alex Avila an occasional breather while keeping Martinez’s knees fresh so he can contribute on offense.
Angels Have Serious Interest In C.J. Wilson
11:11pm: It doesn't appear that Wilson will sign very soon, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com tweets. There are eight or nine teams interested in the left-hander and they plan to narrow that list down to four or five favorites. The soon-to-be 31-year-old could fetch a six-year deal.
10:09pm: After meeting with the Angels for three hours, Wilson's agent Bob Garber disclosed that the interest is mutual, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. "C.J. is extremely interested [in the Angels]. We're going to talk some more," said the agent.
Meanwhile, GM Jerry Dipoto isn't sure if Wilson's ties to Southern California will help their pursuit, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
8:14pm: The Angels have "serious" interest in free agent left-hander C.J. Wilson, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times (on Twitter). Angels GM Jerry Dipoto is meeting with Wilson's agent in Milwaukee tonight.
Dipoto has publicly expressed his interest in Wilson, who appears to have serious interest in joining the Angels. Several teams are already showing willingness to commit five years to Wilson, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The southpaw is drawing heavy interest already, despite a lackluster showing in the postseason.
Wilson's a Type A free agent, but there's talk that teams will no longer have to surrender draft picks to sign top free agents under the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.
Ramirez Not Open To Position Change
Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez is not at all pleased about the prospect of changing positions if the team signs Jose Reyes, a source tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Spencer adds that the two players aren't the friends that many portray.
Late last month, club president David Samson said that the Marlins haven't discussed moving Ramirez away from shortstop or asking Ramirez about a position change. A representative for Ramirez also said that the Marlins hadn't asked the soon-to-be 28-year-old to move from shortstop.
Athletics Notes: Gonzalez, Bailey, Sizemore, Cespedes
We've seen a good amount of talk surrounding the A's lately and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle gave her take on it all..
- Even though it's been said that Billy Beane will listen on all of his players this offseason, that is standard operating procedure for the GM and nothing new. Beane's philosophy is that there is a match for any player, if the price is right.
- If GM Billy Beane could get a substantial return for them, Slusser could see him trading Gio Gonzalez or Andrew Bailey. Gonzalez is coveted by many contenders, with the Yankees at the head of the pack. Bailey's value isn't terribly high after missing the first-half of last season with elbow issues, but the skyrocketing price of closers helps his case. The two-time All-Star is under team control for three more years.
- Slusser believes that it would take a Dan Haren-type deal to pry Gonzalez away and doesn't see that happening.
- Of the bullpen options that the A's have, Bailey probably would make the most sense if the A’s were to trade a younger piece. Then again, Slusser notes that Grant Balfour is making more than Bailey and would also draw interest.
- Even though the A’s have been linked to Grady Sizemore, Slusser hasn't heard any rumblings at all from the team about the center fielder. The A’s are believed to be focusing on building a team with an eye towards a new stadium and signing Sizemore on a one-year deal doesn't fit with that idea.
- There also hasn't been any talk from the team of going after Yoenis Cespedes, who on paper is the kind of player that the team might have interest in. The A’s are not in the mode where they’ll do the kind of spending that it will take to land the 26-year-old, so it's not likely that they'll land him. They have had high level scouts and executives at games and workouts but the pricetag is likely too high for Oakland. Slusser suggests taking the Sizemore and Cespedes talk with a grain of salt until the team has more clarity on the stadium situation.
Padres Not Optimistic About Keeping Heath Bell
The Padres aren't too optimistic about their chances of retaining Heath Bell, tweets Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated. They club has offered a two-year deal to the closer but he can likely get three years for more than $30MM elsewhere, Heyman adds.
Bell will obviously attract a great deal of attention from teams, including the Red Sox who also be in on Ryan Madson following Jonathan Papelbon's signing with the Phillies. Last week, Bell said in an interview that he’d prefer to sign with the Padres, Angels or Dodgers and would also like to play for the Red Sox or Phillies, though it's probably safe to say that the Phillies are no longer a possibility for Bell.
Epstein On Zambrano, Managerial Search, Hale
Earlier today, Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein had lunch with embattled pitcher Carlos Zambrano to discuss his future. Here are Epstein's comments on the meeting and more..
- Epstein said that Zambrano has a chance to "earn his way back' to being a Cub, tweets Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.
- Epstein also hopes to make progress on naming a manager this week and will have "follow-ups" with candidates, Hoynes tweets.
- The Cubs conducted a phone interview with DeMarlo Hale for the managerial job, tweets Bruce Miles of The Daily Herald. Epstein said that they know the Red Sox bench coach well enough that a face-to-face meeting wasn't necessary.
- Epstein hopes that the Red Sox and Cubs can make headway on their compensation talks now that they're in the same building, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com (via Twitter).
- In other Cubs news, scouting director Jason McLeod is headed to the Dominican Republic this week to see several players, including outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, Muskat tweets.
White Sox GM On Buehrle’s Future, Danks
White Sox GM Ken Williams sounded less-than-optimistic when addressing the possibility of Mark Buehrle's return to Chicago, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. The GM said that he is unsure if it is the free agent ace's "time to go" but seemed prepared for the veteran to move on and play elsewhere in 2012.
“What I will miss more than that is the person he is. And you guys know what I’m talking about. When you talk about teammates, good teammates, supportive teammates, guys who have fun in the game, know when to be serious, know when to check somebody but know when to make somebody laugh, this is the guy you want. There’s much more that we’re going to miss than just every fifth day from Mark," said Williams at a hotel restaurant at the general managers’ meetings.
Last week we learned that the Marlins extended an offer to Buehrle and earlier this evening it was reported that the Diamondbacks have interest in him as well. Last season, the 32-year-old posted a 3.59 ERA with 4.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 31 starts.
Williams also said that a trade of John Danks doesn’t seem imminent because he doesn’t think that he could get fair value for the left-hander.
“First of all, the climate for teams giving up young pitching hasn’t been sunny in a few years,” the GM said. “Secondly, it’s seems like every year, we all sit down and people are worried about the pitching.”
Brewers Notes: Fielder, Reyes, Betancourt, Hairston
This week's GM meetings are being held in Milwaukee, so let's round up some news from the local team…
- GM Doug Melvin confirmed to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that they will not extend an offer to Prince Fielder during this week's GM meetings. “We won’t do that here,” said Melvin, who is open to meeting with Fielder's agent, Scott Boras.
- Melvin told McCalvy that he has not decided if he will make more phone calls or have a face-to-face meeting with Jose Reyes' agent, Peter Greenberg. “[We've made] one phone call … No numbers," said the GM.
- The Brewers declined Yuniesky Betancourt's $6MM option for 2012, but Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel that he's "very interested" in bringing the shortstop back at a lower salary.
- Melvin has also spoken to Jerry Hairston Jr.'s agent about returning, according to Haudricourt (on Twitter).
Jose Reyes Rumors: Monday
The latest on free agent shortstop Jose Reyes…
- The Tigers like Reyes, but don't expect to sign him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- Heyman hears that Reyes is the Brewers' top target (Twitter link).
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson said he has spoken with agent Peter Greenberg since Reyes visited the Marlins last week, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin. Greenberg is currently out of the country, so he won't be meeting with teams at this week's GM Meetings. "I still think it’s early, notwithstanding all the background noise from the last week," Alderson said.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told reporters, including Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, that he has spoken with Reyes' representatives and hasn't decided whether to initiate more talks (Twitter link).
- "There is an expectation [the Marlins] will work something out with Reyes for something in the range of five years, $18-20MM a year," said ESPN's Buster Olney on Sportscenter. Olney sees the Marlins as Reyes' most aggressive suitor.
- The Marlins are very confident on signing Reyes, a baseball source tells Kevin Burkhardt of SNY (Twitter link). Burkhardt says not to be shocked if Hanley Ramirez winds up in center field if the Marlins sign Reyes.
- One executive interested in Reyes told Joel Sherman of the New York Post Reyes is targeting a minimum of $100MM (Twitter link).