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Red Sox Increase Two-Year Offer To Ortiz?

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8:27pm: Ortiz said tonight that he hadn't heard about an increase to Boston's two-year offer, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI. Ortiz officially accepted arbitration, though the two sides could still work out a multiyear agreement.

7:22pm: With tonight's arbitration deadline looming, the Red Sox have boosted their two-year contract offer to David Ortiz, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. McAdam says the new offer increases the $18MM figure the Sox previously proposed, but still falls slightly short of $20MM, meaning Ortiz is unlikely to accept it.

With numerous reports indicating Ortiz has decided to accept Boston's offer of arbitration, the 36-year-old will be in line for a raise over last year's $12.5MM salary on a one-year deal. If Ortiz accepts arb, the Sox would be less likely to continue pursuing a multiyear deal, a source tells McAdam.

Other Red Sox notes:

  • If the Sox are paying Ortiz upwards of $14-15MM next season, it's less likely they'll spend on a closer or outfielder, tweets ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
  • Boston is close to signing Jesse Carlson to a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, tweets McAdam.

David Ortiz Accepts Arbitration

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8:08pm: Ortiz has officially accepted arbitration, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston. Neither side has ruled out a multiyear deal at some point this offseason, tweets MLB.com's Ian Browne. The Sox reportedly increased their two-year offer to Ortiz today.

3:30pm: The Red Sox have not heard any official word from Ortiz, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford.

2:20pm: Free agent DH David Ortiz will accept Boston's arbitration offer, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman.  Ortiz's plan was first reported yesterday by ESPN's Enrique Rojas.  That means Ortiz is under the team's control for 2012 at a salary to potentially be determined by the arbitration process.  He'll get a raise on this year's $12.5MM salary.

Ortiz, 36, was MLBTR's 13th-ranked free agent, but his market was cold given his inability to play the field and the attached draft pick cost.

Brewers Expect Rollins To Sign With Phillies

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The latest on free agent shortstop Jimmy Rollins…

  • Phillies sources tell Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link) that there was no meeting with Rollins tonight.
  • The Phillies are currently meeting with Lozano and could "get to the finish line" tonight, tweets Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • While no deal between the Phillies and Rollins has been agreed upon, Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio hears from sources on both sides that it will get done (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers expect Rollins to re-sign with the Phillies because their second meeting with agent Dan Lozano was canceled, tweets Haudricourt. According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had this to say on the Brewers' expectations: "That's good news, I guess. I don't know why they have that thought process, but I hope it's true."
  • The Phillies are not close to re-signing Rollins, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
  • The Brewers are hearing that Rollins is staying with the Phillies, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.  ESPN's Chris Singleton received an encouraging report from a Phillies person that a deal with Rollins will get done soon.

Carlos Beltran Market Appears Thin

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Already today, we've heard that the Giants won't re-sign Carlos Beltran and that the Red Sox don't seem enthused about the outfielder. So it's no surprise that Jon Heyman of MLB Network says (via Twitter) the market for Beltran "appears very thin."

According to Heyman, teams are concerned about Beltran's medical records. The 34-year-old appeared in 142 games in 2011, but was limited to approximately that amount in 2009 and 2010 combined, due to knee problems.

A’s Unlikely To Trade Gio Gonzalez At Meetings

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The latest on Athletics lefty Gio Gonzalez, a 26-year-old who is under team control through 2015…

Tim Dierkes and Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Mets Listening On Niese, Others In Trade Talks

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The Mets are being aggressive at the Winter Meetings, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post, talking about everyone except David Wright. Among young players, the Mets are talking the most about Jonathon Niese rather than Davis, tweets Sherman. Niese, 25, is under team control through 2015 and could be an alternative for teams that find Oakland's asking price too high for Gio Gonzalez. Here are today's rumors on Niese and other Mets trade candidates, with the newest updates on top:

  • Teams have been inquiring about Mike Pelfrey as well, but the Mets were underwhelmed by the offers, tweets Martino.
  • The Mets would like a placeholder starter for their big league club in addition to a prospect for Niese, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post and Sherman (Twitter links). Sherman points to Jason Hammel as a possible match, though Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter) hears the Rockies haven't had discussions with the Mets.
  • The Red Sox aren't a match for Niese, says Alex Speier of WEEI.
  • The Padres aren't interested in Niese, a source tells Martino (Twitter link).
  • Andy Martino hears the Mets would have to get a lot if they were to trade Niese, and aren't close to anything. Two team officials that spoke to Martino don't expect a trade today (Twitter links). Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger adds, via Twitter, that the asking price for Daniel Murphy is also high.
  • The Blue Jays are also talking to the Mets about Niese, tweets Sherman. The Yankees have also called, but Sherman isn't sure how serious they are (Twitter link).
  • The Mets are hoping to get multiple pieces in return for Niese, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network. They're interested in adding a catcher, an infielder, and prospects.
  • The Red Sox have talked to the Mets and have interest in Niese, says Sherman.
  • The Padres and Rockies are among the teams interested in Niese, tweets Sherman.  The Padres could get in on Niese but have not engaged yet, adds Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Marlins Out Of Running For Albert Pujols

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The latest on free agent superstar Albert Pujols…

  • Marlins people are saying they withdrew their offer to Pujols, not the other way around, tweets ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Either way, the end result is the same: the Marlins are out.
  • Bob Nightengale of USA Today confirms (via Twitter) the Marlins are no longer involved, but says Pujols still has three offers in excess of $200MM. It's hard to imagine which teams besides the Cardinals would be offering that much.
  • Well, it looks like the Marlins won't sign every top free agent on the market. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick hears that Dan Lozano has told the Marlins they're out of the running for Pujols, though there are still clubs involved besides the Cardinals (Twitter links).
  • The Cardinals' offer currently on the table is for nine years, not ten, according to Buster Olney (via Twitter). Meanwhile, the Marlins aren't completely out on Pujols, but won't increase their offer, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
  • Pujols appears headed back to the Cardinals and the two sides are believed to be only a few million dollars apart on a ten-year deal, reports Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.
  • The Marlins are moving on emotionally from the Pujols talks, tweets Buster Olney, though they haven't necessarily pulled their offer.
  • Pujols' camp is attempted to extract every possible nickel in an offer from Miami so they can take that to the Cardinals, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • The Marlins are still in on Pujols, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  Angels GM Jerry Dipoto told reporters his focus has not been on Pujols.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick hears lots of buzz in Dallas that the Pujols decision is shifting in the Cardinals' direction.
  • Pujols is likely heading back to the Cardinals, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  He says the Marlins are shifting their attention to Prince Fielder, while several others say they'll turn to pitching targets.
  • A Cardinals source sees a good chance of a resolution one way or another today on Pujols, tweets Jon Paul Morosi.  Buster Olney says there's a growing sense among some officials involved in the Pujols talks that he's staying with the Cardinals.
  • The Cubs are still involved in the Pujols talks, tweets Ken Rosenthal, though the extent is unclear.
  • The Marlins say they've made their final offer to Pujols, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, though an additional meeting with agent Dan Lozano remains possible.
  • The Cardinals are meeting with Pujols' camp this morning, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman.  Heyman believes the Marlins' ten-year offer is in the $200-220MM range.
  • Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cardinals' newest offer to Pujols is believed to approach $220MM over 10 years. The Cards didn't place a deadline on their offer, and general manager John Mozeliak said this wouldn't necessarily be the club's final offer. Strauss is unsure if all 10 years are guaranteed, or if the tenth year involves some kind of option.

Tim Dierkes and Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Giants Won’t Re-Sign Beltran Or Ross

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The Giants won't re-sign Carlos Beltran or Cody Ross this winter, GM Brian Sabean told reporters, including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). Manager Bruce Bochy hinted as much, after yesterday's Angel Pagan acquisition, saying the Giants seemed "pretty set" in the outfield, writes Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.

"Simply put," Sabean said. "With Ross, we could never get on the same page. And Beltran, we knew it was going to be a stretch."

Here are some other Sabean highlights from Shea and Baggarly:

  • The Giants' payroll is maxed out. They'll have to decide whether to tender a contract to Jeff Keppinger or Mike Fontenot, since they can only afford to retain one. With the help of Matt Swartz, MLBTR projected Fontenot to earn about half as much as Keppinger, so Fontenot may have the edge.
  • Guillermo Mota is choosing between two different payout structures, but both Giants offers are for one year with a big league guarantee.
  • No other roster moves are expected besides non-tenders and minor league signings.
  • If the Giants hadn't traded Ramon Ramirez, they would have tendered him a contract.

Roy Oswalt Among Nationals’ Pitching Targets

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6:36pm: Rizzo told reporters, including Zuckerman, that the Nationals' "Plan B" after missing out on Buehrle could involve Oswalt or other free agents and trade candidates. He has talked to the Athletics about Gio Gonzalez.

5:20pm: The Nationals had hoped to sign Mark Buehrle, but their offer to the left-hander fell short in both years and average annual value, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. With Buehrle off the board, the Nats will switch their focus to Roy Oswalt, says Kilgore.

Kilgore reported in November that Oswalt was Washington's "Plan B" if the club couldn't land Buehrle. GM Mike Rizzo told reporters (including Mark Zuckerman) today that the Nationals aren't interested in other free agent pitchers, though Zuckerman clarifies that was before news of Buehrle's agreement broke (Twitter link). Oswalt is said to be seeking a three-year commitment.

AL Central Rumors: Navarro, Lillibridge, Wheeler

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A few of Wednesday's rumors from the AL Central:

  • The Royals are shopping Yamaico Navarro in an attempt to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for the Rule 5 draft, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. He names the Pirates, Mariners, and Astros as possible fits.
  • In their search for a utility infielder, the Royals are considering Edgar Renteria and several other players, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
  • Brent Lillibridge has been the White Sox player drawing the most interest in Dallas, sources tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
  • The Indians talked to free agent reliever Dan Wheeler, but they don't consider the bullpen an area of need, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
  • Indians GM Chris Antonetti won't make any moves in the Rule 5 draft, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter link).

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