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Darvish Undecided About Jump To MLB

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There's a widespread assumption that Yu Darvish will be playing in the Major Leagues next year. But the 25-year-old right-hander took to his personal blog to explain that "nothing is decided."

"After the entire schedule is over, I will carefully think it over,” Darvish wrote, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. “As soon as I decide I will let everyone know.”

If Darvish asks Nippon Ham, his current team, to post him, MLB teams will bid for his exclusive rights. The team that wins the bidding will then have the chance to sign him to his first MLB contract. Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested yesterday that the Rangers, Blue Jays, Nationals, Mariners and Royals are the early favorites to land Darvish, who would be among the offseason's top available arms.

Jeff Fulchino Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Jeff Fulchino has elected free agency, according to MLB.com's transactions page. The Padres claimed Fulchino from the Astros at the beginning of September, but he recorded just five outs for San Diego. As a first time arbitration eligible player, he would have been in line for a salary in the $800K range if the Padres had tendered him a contract.

Fulchino, 31, posted a 5.71 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 5.7 BB/9 and a 38.1% ground ball rate in 34 2/3 innings for the Astros and Padres this year. He has a career ERA of 4.84 with 8.2 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 178 1/3 MLB innings since 2006 and his average fastball velocity is 93.3mph.

Mets Notes: Reyes, Wright, Rockies

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The Mets' offseason will revolve, in large part, around their pursuit of Jose Reyes. The latest Mets-related links: 

  • Five Mets executives gave Joel Sherman of the New York Post the impression that Reyes will sign elsewhere and one of them said "I don't think it is happening with the shortstop." Reyes' injuries and the Mets' financial problems may prevent them from winning the bidding on the free agent-to-be. Sherman gets the sense that the Mets don't want to offer more than four years with an option, though they would like Reyes back.
  • The Mets will be open-minded when teams inquire about David Wright.
  • One team official acknowledged that it would be foolish not to explore the market for the third baseman. "However, I expect actually pulling the trigger is a long shot," the person said. If traded, Wright can void a 2013 option for $16MM, so the acquiring team would be getting him for one year.
  • The Rockies, who inquired on Wright this summer, will call if the Mets are willing to listen, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (all Twitter links). The Rockies wouldn't move Dexter Fowler or be willing to trade multiple prospects for one year of Wright, so Renck suggests the Rockies will want to extend Wright if they acquire him.

Quick Hits: Byrnes, Reds, Uehara, Young, Inge

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The World Series is tied at a game apiece after the Rangers' thrilling 2-1 victory over the Cardinals tonight.  As we look forward to Game Three on Saturday night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, here are a few news items to round out the evening…

  • The Diamondbacks will receive "a significant level of financial relief – and perhaps total relief" when and if Josh Byrnes becomes the Padres' new general manager, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  Byrnes had five and a half years remaining on his contract with Arizona when he was fired on July 1, 2010, but the Snakes could be off the hook for the remaining four years left on that deal should Byrnes get another GM job.
  • There is nothing new to report on the Reds' negotiations with Brandon Phillips or Francisco Cordero, Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • Koji Uehara has told people close to him that he wants to return to the Orioles, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.  After being dealt to Texas in July, Uehara struggled in the first two rounds of the playoffs and was left off the Rangers' World Series roster.  The Japanese right-hander made enough appearances to activate a $4MM vesting option for 2012, so if the O's want Uehara back, the Rangers would probably be happy to unload him.
  • The Red Sox have given the Athletics permission to interview pitching coach Curt Young about the pitching coach vacancy in Oakland, reports Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.  Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link) reports Young and the A's are already in negotiations.  Young served as Oakland's pitching coach from 2004-2010 before going to Boston to replace John Farrell last winter.
  • The Tigers have enough money coming off the books this winter that Tom Gage of the Detroit News thinks Brandon Inge's contract could be swallowed if the team can find a better third base option on the trade market.  Inge is set to earn $5.5MM in 2012 and the Tigers hold a $6MM club option on their longtime third baseman for 2013.

Yu Darvish Links: Yankees, Jays, Rangers, Mariners

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Here's the latest on the Yu Darvish sweepstakes…

  • Talking to MLBTR's Tim Dierkes (Twitter link), an unnamed agent believes Darvish's posting fee will reach $50MM, and the right-hander will then sign a five-year, $75MM contract with the winning team.
  • Brian Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York that the Yankees scouted Darvish last season in Japan, but unsurprisingly didn't comment about whether or not the team would be interested in bidding for the right-hander.
  • Yankee management is unlikely to pay an expensive posting fee for Darvish given the club's spotty history with Japanese pitchers, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).  For what's it worth, the "Yankees' scouts love Darvish." 
  • In another tweet, Sherman lists the Rangers, Blue Jays, Nationals, Mariners and Royals as the favorites to land Darvish this winter, in that order.
  • The Mariners have scouted Darvish but, in the opinion of Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, the M's shouldn't make a bid since the team has so much young pitching coming up from the minors.  Stone also points out that "the Mariners have not become the haven for Japanese players that was predicted by some" when Hiroshi Yamauchi became the club's principal owner.  

Astros Notes: Crane, McLane, Bourn

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Some notes out of Houston, including news about the proposed sale of the club….

  • Potential Astros owner Jim Crane wants $50MM off his $680MM purchase price as compensation for moving the club to the American League, reports Josh Kosman of the New York Post.  Though it isn't clear if a deal will be reached, Crane and MLB are in the "ballpark" of an agreement on the compensation price.  A source tells Kosman that there is a “65 to 70 percent chance" that Crane and Bud Selig will reach an agreement, but if the two sides can't work out a deal, Crane won't buy the club.
  • Crane's $50MM request could be his "exit strategy" from the sale, writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, if he has become frustrated at how long it has taken to finalize his purchase of the Astros.  Justice also speculates that current owner Drayton McLane could be the one who walks away from the deal if Crane wants to lower his price, even though $630MM is still higher than any other offer McLane could find.
  • Rob Gloster of Business Week talks to several Astros and Braves officials for an oral history of the Michael Bourn trade.

Selig On CBA, Slotting, Rays, Epstein, Playoffs

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Commissioner Bud Selig discussed several topics in an interview with Chris Russo of SiriusXM’s Mad Dog Radio today before Game 2 of the World Series.  Here are some of the highlights:

  • In regards to the ongoing negotiations about a new collective bargaining agreement, Selig said talks were "constructive," though it would be "pretty optimistic" to hope that a new deal could be announced before the end of the World Series.
  • The issue of a hard slotting system for the draft is "really critical" for Selig.  Buster Olney reported yesterday that Selig was unlikely to "dig in and fight" for slotting since doing so would prolong the labor negotiations.
  • Selig is hopeful that an extra wild card team in each league could be added in time for the 2012 postseason.  Selig hears from a number of managers that they would prefer a one-game playoff between each league's wild card teams, rather than a best-of-three playoff.
  • The commissioner is "concerned" about the low attendance in Tampa Bay.  The Rays "are a wonderful organization, produced a terrific team this year and finished last in the American League in attendance.  I’ll let you draw your own conclusion.  That’s bad."  The Rays' quest for a new stadium is not quite a "lost cause," as Russo describes, but Selig said he is "usually an optimist and I don’t have any reason to be too optimistic" about the situation.
  • Selig admitted that he could possibly be called in to decide the compensation the Cubs would owe the Red Sox for Theo Epstein.
  • Judging fair and foul balls could become reviewable via instant replay.  Besides this change, however, Selig said "there is no appetite anywhere, including mine, for any instant replay" of other plays.
  • "Never have so many [networks] been interested in acquiring our rights," Selig said in regards about MLB's next TV contracts for the postseason.

White Sox Notes: Danks, Buehrle, Minors, Manto

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The White Sox may not be negotiating with two teams to build a new front office, but still, there's plenty of news from the south side of the Windy City.  Here's the latest on the Sox…

David Ortiz Still Wants To Return To Red Sox

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David Ortiz wants to return for his 10th season with the Red Sox in 2012, the slugger tells MLB.com's Mark Newman.  Ortiz has consistently said he'd like to keep playing in Boston when asked about his pending free agency, but last week said there was "too much drama" around the club and “I don't know if I want to be part of this drama for next year," while also noting the calmer state of the Yankees' organization.

Today, however, Ortiz reiterated that Boston is still his top choice and his mention of the Yankees was respectful praise, not a hint to his free agent plans.

"Of course I would like to come back," Ortiz said. "We have a lot of things going on right now, so once they go through all this stuff — GM and manager things — I think they're going to start talking to the players. We'll see. We've got time."

"I never said I would sign with the Yankees. No, don't be making [stuff] up," Ortiz said. "They asked me if I would play for the Yankees, and I said I would think about it. But I didn't confirm to nobody that I would play for the Yankees. I'm still a Red Sox, aren't I?"

It's hard to see where Ortiz would fit as a full-time player in the New York lineup, so there are practical reasons standing in the way of a possible move for Ortiz to that particular team.  It's very possible Ortiz was just venting last week in the wake of the Red Sox' September collapse and all of the controversy that has since has erupted amongst players and management.  Ortiz earned $12.5MM last season when Boston exercised its team option on the slugger for 2011 and he projects as a Type A free agent this offseason.

D’Backs Outright Burroughs, Castillo, Hammock

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The Diamondbacks have outrighted Sean Burroughs, Alberto Castillo and Robby Hammock to Triple-A, according to the CBSSports.com MLB transactions page.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes identified Burroughs and Hammock as likely non-tender candidates in his look at Arizona's arbitration-eligible players on Tuesday.  Burroughs is going through the arb process for the second time, while Hammock is going through his first.

Burroughs appeared in 78 games with the D'Backs in 2011, his first taste of Major League action since 2006 and has already been outrighted once this season.  Burroughs was taken by the Padres with the ninth overall pick of the 1998 draft but never lived up to expectations, posting a career slash line of .280/.337/.357 in 1805 plate appearances.

Castillo, 36, has a career ERA of 4.33 in 79 appearances over four seasons with the D'Backs and Orioles.  The left-hander was designated for assignment by Baltimore in June and then signed a minor league deal with Arizona a week later.

Hammock was in his third stint as a Diamondback and, though he has also been part of the Yankees, Rockies and Orioles organizations, has only appeared in the Major Leagues with Arizona.  Hammock, 34, has primarily played catcher in his career but has also logged time at third base, first base and in the outfield.  The veteran has a .719 OPS in 527 career plate appearances over six seasons in the bigs.

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