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Padres Very Close To Acquiring Huston Street

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9:59am: The Padres are very close to getting Street from the Rockies, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.  The Rockies will receive a player to be named later, he adds, and the Padres will pay Street's contract.

9:52am: The Rockies and Padres' talks for Huston Street are ongoing, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, and they've been extensive.  Scott Miller of CBS Sports agrees that the teams are talking seriously about Street, and the Padres hope to close the deal today.  

ESPN's Jayson Stark suggested this match yesterday, saying the Rockies are willing to eat all of Street's $8MM salary for prospects.  However, Miller says the Rockies want to get rid of his salary and wouldn't pick up much.  Jon Heyman of MLB Network tweets that the Padres are working hard on landing a closer.

Twins Sign Matt Capps

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The Twins announced today they've re-signed reliever Matt Capps to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013.  According to an AP report, the deal will pay Capps $4.5MM in 2012 and includes a $6MM option for 2013. With a $250K buyout on the option, Capps is guaranteed $4.75MM.  He's represented by Wasserman Media Group.

Capps was acquired by the Twins in July of 2010 at the high price of Wilson Ramos, and enjoyed a successful final two months of the season, posting a 2.00 ERA and saving 16 games. He was less effective in 2011, with a 4.25 ERA and by far the lowest K/9 mark of his career (4.7).  For fantasy analysis on the signing, check out Bryan Grosnick's latest at CloserNews.

In late November as part of the collective bargaining agreement, Capps was downgraded from a Type A free agent to Type B, and it was decided the Twins would not have to offer him arbitration to receive a supplemental draft pick in return.  So, re-signing him comes at an extra cost, since they would have gotten a free, unexpected draft pick by letting him leave.

Jon Heyman and Steve Popper originally broke news of the agreement Monday.  Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Braves Seek Backup Shortstop

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The latest on the Braves…

  • The Braves would not be a suitor for Hanley Ramirez if the Marlins decide to trade him, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  They've got Tyler Pastornicky penciled into the starting shortstop role for 2012, though GM Frank Wren seeks "a traditional backup shortstop," not a semi-regular.  O'Brien says the Braves don't want to make a multiyear commitment.  I'd consider Nick Punto a semi-regular and a candidate for a two-year deal, but O'Brien says he is a Braves target.
  • Next week's potential non-tenders are not among the Braves' targets, Wren told reporters including MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

Latest On A’s-Red Sox Andrew Bailey Talks

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8:49am:  The talks are not that far along and the A's have not asked for Middlebrooks, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.  The A's would need more, but WEEI's Alex Speier tweets that they've liked Lars Anderson, Raul Alcantara, and Brandon Workman.  Things are currently quiet on the Bailey-Red Sox trade front, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston. 

6:39am: The A's asked the Red Sox for third base prospect Will Middlebrooks, writes the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. It's probably safe to assume that Middlebrooks, 23, is not one of the prospects mentioned in Gammons' proposal.

5:01am: Peter Gammons of MLB Network tweets that the Athletics are considering a trade offer from the Red Sox that includes Josh Reddick and prospects in exchange for Andrew Bailey. Jed Lowrie is not in this proposal.

The 24-year-old Reddick appeared at all three outfield spots for the Sox in 2011 (earning stellar reviews from UZR and DRS in an admittedly small sample) and hit a solid .280/.327/.457 in 278 plate appearances.

The A's stand to lose their entire starting outfield of David DeJesus (already signed with the Cubs), Coco Crisp, and Josh Willingham to free agency this offseason, so it makes sense that they would have interest in controllable outfielders.

The two teams were reportedly set to meet on Tuesday to discuss a potential Bailey trade, though is is the first we've heard of the results.

Josh Hamilton Discusses Extension

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Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton will be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season, and both Hamilton and the Rangers have a policy of avoiding in-season negotations.  Hamilton told reporters including Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram yesterday, "If something is going to happen, it'll happen this winter or in spring training.  [During the season] I'm going to be focused on what I got to do and what I need to do to help the team win."  Hamilton went on to explain his stance on a possible extension:

"Obviously I love it here.  It always comes down to being treated fairly. I've been this way since I signed out of high school. Treat me fair and don't come in with no ridiculously low stuff."

Rangers president Nolan Ryan told Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas that discussions with Hamilton are an "ongoing process," and he doesn't have a feel for what it will take to retain him.

Dodgers Seek Bat, Reliever

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The latest on the Dodgers…

  • Dodgers GM Ned Colletti told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick he's looking for a position player upgrade.  The potential acquisition would be payroll neutral and has been a starter at his position.  Gurnick guesses Colletti is targeting an outfielder or first baseman and would be willing to trade James Loney.
  • Colletti apparently met Tuesday night with agents at Hendricks Sports, which represents free agent reliever Mike MacDougal as well as Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.  The Dodgers appear interested in bringing MacDougal back, while Colletti isn't sure of Kershaw's interest level in an extension.
  • Dodgers assistant GM Logan White interviewed for the Astros GM position, reported MLB.com's Brian McTaggart yesterday in case you missed it.
  • The Dodgers and MLB filed a settlement in bankruptcy court yesterday, reported Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.  Owner Frank McCourt must divest himself of the Dodgers and their stadium by April 30th, and initial bids for the team are due January 13th.  MLB will have to approve an initial small group of bidders.  McCourt has the option of keeping the parking lots around the stadium.  As part of the settlement, MLB agreed to remain neutral in the dispute between the Dodgers and FOX.  The Dodgers want to market their television rights as part of the sale, and FOX objects based on its current contract.

Day In Review: Top Stories From Day 2

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If you missed anything from Day 1 of the Winter Meetings, here's the rundown from the crack o' dawn yesterday. If you missed anything from Day 2, the good stuff's all down below:

  • There was literally too much Albert Pujols talk for one post, so we split it up into two. Pujols reportedly has three offers of $200MM+, though one is from the dreaded "mystery team." Conflicting reports have the Angels either in the mix or out entirely, but Pujols does appear to be down to choosing between the Marlins and Cardinals, with some expecting a decision today.
  • The White Sox are apparently blowing it up and starting over, though GM Kenny Williams kicked the effort off in an odd way by dealing closer Sergio Santos to the Blue Jays in a one-for-one swap for Double-A strikeout machine Nestor Molina. Santos is under team control for the next six years on a very affordable three-year, $8.25MM deal with three team options ($6MM, $8MM, and $8.75MM).
  • Not everything is rosy down in Miami, as a report surfaced that Hanley Ramirez prefers a trade rather than changing positions to accommodate new teammate Jose Reyes.
  • The Angels don't want to go six years on C.J. Wilson, whose agent Bob Garber met with the Rangers yesterday and was "pleasantly surprised." The Rangers' first offer was said to be for $60MM over four years.
  • The Mets remade their bullpen in about as much time as it took me to make the frozen pizza I made for dinner. They signed Jon Rauch to a one-year deal ($3.5MM), inked Frank Francisco for two years ($12MM), and traded Angel Pagan to the Giants for Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez.
  • The Giants, by the way, are said to be "far down the road" on another trade as well.
  • Gio Gonzalez is becoming a hot topic. Late last night word got out that the Tigers were making a strong push for the A's lefty, and then we learned at about 3am that the Phillies are in the mix as well.
  • With the Phillies' interest fading and the Angels' initial offers on the low end, the Brewers have emerged as the favorites for Aramis Ramirez.
  • Mark Buehrle is seeking a four-year deal and has narrowed his decision to five teams, although it's not clear as to which five are in the conversation. The Rangers, Nationals, Marlins, and Twins all had offers to the former South Sider on Monday.
  • The Dodgers are apparently addicted to two-year deals, and who was Aaron Harang to deny them? He got $12MM from L.A.'s NL crew.
  • The Rockies picked up non-tender candidate Kevin Slowey off the Twins' scrap heap for a player to be named later. The Orioles talked with Minnesota about Slowey, too.
  • David Ortiz is planning on accepting arbitration to stay with the Red Sox, though he has yet to do so.
  • Other teams get the feeling that the Braves will indeed move either Jair Jurrjens or Martin Prado this offseason.
  • The Twins made a three-year offer to Michael Cuddyer, who ironically saw the birth of his own pair of twins yesterday. Is that an omen?

Overnight Links: Gio, Rangers, Yankees, Astros

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As you probably know by know, MLBTR will have 24-hour coverage of the Winter Meetings. I'll be at the wheel until 8am, so feel free to stay up late with me. Here's tonight's batch of overnight quick hits:

Sox Rebuilding, Seek Huge Return For John Danks

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The White Sox are looking for a "Ubaldo Jimenez package" in return for John Danks, an executive told ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). The Rockies' haul for Jimenez at this year's trade deadline consisted of four pitching prospects, including two former first-rounders in Drew Pomeranz and Alex White. However, Jimenez was still under team control for two-plus seasons when the Indians acquired him, while Danks' contract expires at the end of 2012.

Let's check out a couple more White Sox links (newest at the top)…

Prince Fielder Rumors: Tuesday

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The market for Prince Fielder is developing slowly. Yesterday we heard of varying degrees of interest from the Orioles and Mariners, while the Brewers and Dodgers admitted they likely can't afford the big man. Today's Fielder rumors are below:

  • Zduriencik told Brock and Salk of 710ESPN there has been ongoing dialogue about Fielder, but there will be a point where they can't be involved. Zduriencik says a time will come, be it this year or sometime in the next 2-3 years, where ownership "will step up and give us the resources that we absolutely need to get us over the top and I think we are all excited about that." (Hat tip: Shannon Drayer of MyNorthwest.com)
  • The Mariners are planning to meet with Fielder tonight, says Heyman (on Twitter). He's unsure of their chances to sign him, but says they "love" the slugger.
  • The Cubs' interest in Fielder appears to be "sincere," tweets Heyman.
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik believes calling the Mariners the frontrunner for Fielder is "misleading," writes MLB.com's Greg Johns. "On any free agent," said the GM. "I have no clue how many clubs are in on any free agent that we’re talking to. To say anybody is a front runner, I don’t know how that would have come out." Zduriencik's comments at least indicate that the M's are talking to Prince.
  • For what it's worth, agent Scott Boras talked to Bowden (Twitter link) about Fielder, saying he has "many suitors and the coffee isn't even hot yet."
  • The Cubs aren't in any kind of a process with Fielder, Cubs manager Dale Sveum told reporters.
  • The Mariners are the frontrunner for Fielder, tweets Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio he's unlikely to sign Fielder because he's not going past a five-year commitment.
  • The Cubs are eyeing Fielder more than Albert Pujols, tweets Jon Heyman of MLB Network.  The Cubs won't do nine or ten years for Pujols, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that they prefer high dollars and a shorter term for Fielder as well.

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