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Ryan Doumit Drawing Interest, Could Sign Soon

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Ryan Doumit, who was already weighing multiple contract offers, received offers from two more teams today, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Agent Paul Cobbe tells Crasnick that Doumit could sign within the next few days.

Matt Sosnick, another of Doumit's representatives at Sosnick Cobbe Sports, said earlier this month that his client was willing to catch, play the outfield, or DH. As Crasnick tweeted this week, there are teams that view Doumit as a combo player who could spend time at all three positions, making him more popular to AL clubs. However, Crasnick adds in another tweet that one of today's offers came from a National League team.

Doumit, 30, was limited to 236 plate appearances in 2011 due to injuries, but made the most of his playing time, hitting .303/.353/.477. Pittsburgh declined its option on the longtime Pirate at season's end.

Angels Notes: Wilson, Pujols, Fielder, Dipoto

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In yesterday's collection of Angels notes, we heard that the team has touched base with C.J. Wilson. GM Jerry Dipoto said his club is "intrigued" by the possibility of signing the left-hander away from the rival Rangers, according to Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles. Let's round up a few more Angels-related links….

  • Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio tweets that Wilson, who is from Southern California and is living there this winter, has "serious interest" in the Angels.
  • Within his ESPN.com blog (Insider only), Buster Olney says baseball people that have talked to the Angels don't think the club will be among the bidders for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder. Dipoto said earlier this week that, while an impact first baseman isn't the team's most pressing need, the Angels "don't want to lock the door" on the possibility of signing Pujols or Fielder.
  • The baseball people who spoke to Olney also feel like Dipoto is "in full control of the decisions" for the Angels, with Mike Scioscia entirely focused on managing.

Padres Reluctant To Move Chase Headley

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The free agent market for third basemen drops off after Aramis Ramirez, which is why Ben Nicholson-Smith highlighted potential trade candidates late last month. One of those trade candidates may not be available however, as sources tell Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Padres will be reluctant to move Chase Headley this offseason.

Headley, 27, projects to earn $3MM through arbitration this winter, his second time through the process as a Super Two. His .289/.374/.399 batting line in 2011 masks a drastic home/road split; the switch-hitter hit just .243/.348/.326 at Petco Park but .330/.399/.465 on the road. His career split is just as pronounced. The various advanced metrics rate Headley's defense as comfortably above-average at the hot corner.

The Marlins, Cubs, Tigers, Angels, and Rockies all figure to be in the market for third base help this offseason. Logan Forsythe and James Darnell both made their big league debuts in 2011, but retaining Headley would allow the Padres to be patient with the young duo. They've combined for just 373 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Cespedes May Not Become Free Agent For Two Months

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It could take two months for MLB to declare Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes a free agent, reports Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter). The 26-year-old became a household name last week thanks to the his 20-minute showcase video.

The Red Sox, Phillies, Indians, Blue Jays, Pirates, Rangers, Tigers, Nationals, Athletics, Marlins, and Yankees are among the teams with interest in Cespedes. There is some belief within baseball that he could wind up with a contract in excess of the $30MM Aroldis Chapman received two offseasons years ago. Cespedes is represented by Adam Katz of Wasserman Media Group.

Relievers Notes: Wood, Madson, Papelbon

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Jonathan Papelbon became the first major free agent to change teams yesterday, agreeing to a four-year contract worth $50MM with the Phillies. Reactions to the contract were generally mixed, though almost everyone agreed that the size of the deal was staggering. Let's round up the latest from the relief pitcher market…

  • Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune reports that Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has had preliminary talks with Kerry Wood, who is expected to return next season. The 34-year-old righty pitched to a 3.35 ERA in 51 IP after returning to Chicago's north side on a below-market one-year, $1.5MM contract last winter.
  • Despite reports of a four-year, $44MM offer, MASN's Jen Royle hears from a source that the Phillies only offered Ryan Madson a three-year contract. They were unwilling to give him the extra year he wanted (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox, meanwhile, were not willing to give Papelbon a guaranteed fourth year according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • MLB.com's Peter Gammons reports (on Twitter) that the Red Sox offered Papelbon to the Braves in exchange for Javier Vazquez two offseasons ago. Atlanta rejected the offer, then traded Vazquez to the Yankees shortly thereafter.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote about how the rest of the closers' market is shaping up and the impact of Papelbon's contract. Here is our look at the trade and free agent markets for right-handed relievers.

Marlins Rumors: Reyes, Pujols, Buehrle, Madson

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The Miami Marlins were officially born yesterday, and they grabbed some headlines by extending contract offers to free agents Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, and Mark Buehrle. They also expressed some interest in Ryan Madson. Let's round up the latest from South Beach…

  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that Reyes "loved his visit" to the team's new ballpark this past Wednesday, and he would like to play in Miami. SI.com's Heyman hears that Reyes is the team's top free agent target (Twitter link).
  • Within the same piece, Frisaro says that people connected to the team have told him that their offer to Pujols "probably isn’t close to being enough" to land the free agent slugger.
  • Talks with Reyes, Pujols, Madson, and Buehrle are "preliminary" according to Heyman (on Twitter), so there's no threat of all four players accepting offers.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney called the Marlins' strategy fascinating (on Twitter), but cautions that it is risky. The 1997 team also went for quick fixes, then had to tear it all down immediately after winning the World Series.

Rockies Express Interest In Grady Sizemore

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The Rockies have expressed interest in free agent outfielder Grady Sizemore, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The team is casting a wide net as they look for offensive help, but Renck says they are not expected to aggressively pursue Sizemore until they exhaust all trade options with the Braves for Martin Prado. 

The Red Sox and Phillies have checked in on Sizemore, but the Mets are unlikely to get involved. Yesterday we heard that the 29-year-old outfielder is looking for a one-year contract in order to rebuild his value, similar to Adrian Beltre's stint with the Red Sox. The Rockies need help in left field as Tim Dierkes wrote in his Offseason Outlook, and Coors Field is a pretty good place to hit. Obviously the key for Sizemore at this point is staying healthy.

Blue Jays, Marlins Interested In Ryan Madson

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The Blue Jays have been "making inquiries" about Ryan Madson, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, while the Marlins are "also in on" the free agent closer, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (both Twitter links).  The Jays and Marlins join the Rangers, Red Sox and Nationals as clubs reportedly interested in Madson in the wake of his four-year, $44MM deal with the Phillies failing to materialize.

Toronto is known to be looking at several established free agent stoppers.  Signing a Type A free agent like Madson would cost the Jays their first round pick (17th overall) in next year's draft, and giving up high draft picks and spending millions on a closer both seem to run counter to Alex Anthopoulos' modus operandi.  The Jays do have the 22nd overall pick in the 2012 draft as compensation for not signing Tyler Beede last year.

Madson is only the latest target for the Marlins, who have been connected to most of this offseason's major free agents and have already made offers to Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle.  Juan Carlos Oviedo is the incumbent closer in Miami, but he is currently embroiled in legal issues surrounding his adoption of the "Leo Nunez" name for the last several years.  Heyman tweets that the Marlins could stick with Oviedo since the free agent closing market may be too pricey. 

Quick Hits: Astros, Sizemore, A’s, Phillies, CBA

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On a day when Jonathan Papelbon switched teams and the Miami Marlins were officially born, the biggest and best news was unquestionably Wilson Ramos' rescue from kidnappers in his native Venezuela.  Here are a few other items as we head into the weekend…

  • The Astros' potential sale to Jim Crane is on the agenda at next week's owners meetings, reports The Associated Press.  Two sources say Crane, Drayton McLane and Major League Baseball have "reached an understanding" on how the Astros could move to the American League in 2013.
  • Crane could be getting as much as an $80MM discount off his original price for the team by agreeing to move the Astros to the AL, tweets Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman.
  • Grady Sizemore is looking for a one-year contract so he can re-establish his value for a longer-term deal next winter, reports Jon Heyman (Twitter link).  Heyman makes the comparison to the one-year deal Adrian Beltre signed with the Red Sox before the 2010 season, which saw Beltre have a big season and earn a multiyear deal with the Rangers last winter.  Sizemore won't match the $10MM Beltre got from Boston, but a $6-7MM deal with incentives seems reasonable.
  • Heyman says the Athletics are interested in Sizemore but are worried about his health and his asking price.
  • With the Phillies reportedly interested in both Sizemore and Jason Kubel, Fangraphs' Eric Seidman argues that Sizemore is the better choice for the Phils.
  • The Phillies want to sign Michael Cuddyer and re-sign Jimmy Rollins but the club finds both players' asking prices to be too high, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.
  • Major League Baseball and the Players' Association are expected to "continue to negotiate amicably" about the new collective bargaining agreement over the weekend, reports Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
  • Also from Rosenthal, he thinks teams take a major risk by hiring managers with little or no Major League managing or coaching experience.
  • The Pirates' offseason moves will be influenced by the number of players on the roster who are out of options, writes MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.

AL East Notes: Sveum, Posada, Blue Jays, Mora

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Some news from the AL East….

  • Team sources tell Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston that Ben Cherington is "extremely high" on Dale Sveum.  The former Red Sox third base coach is one of five candidates that appear to be the finalists to be Boston's new manager.  Edes guesses that Cherington may have already settled on his choice and "is just going through the process" for the sake of due diligence.  
  • We heard yesterday from SI's Jon Heyman that Jorge Posada could sign with the Orioles or Marlins if he decides to keep playing, but Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com doesn't see Posada in Baltimore "under any circumstances" next year.  I agree with Melewski; it's hard to imagine Posada wanting to spend his probable last season as a bench player for a non-contender.
  • Bob Klapisch of the Record lays out the case for Posada to retire.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos enters this offseason with much more "clarity" about the state of his team after spending two years remaking the roster, writes Rogers Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
  • Melvin Mora tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he wants to return to the Orioles.  If not Baltimore, Mora wants to play on the East Coast to be near his wife and six children.

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