Nationals Center Field Rumors
The latest Nationals news…
- The Yankees shot down the Nationals' attempts to trade for Brett Gardner, according to Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com.
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told reporters today he doesn't think anything has changed on the Upton front.
- The Angels have no interest in trading Peter Bourjos and the Mets plan to keep Angel Pagan, writes Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com.
- The Nationals and Rays discussed center fielder B.J. Upton recently, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Yesterday we heard the Rays would have to be overwhelmed to move Upton. The Nationals are "fixated" on leaving the Winter Meetings with a new center fielder, a team source told Pete Kerzel of MASNSports.com.
- Nationals manager Davey Johnson has talked to free agent Mark DeRosa about joining the team, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The Nats also have interest in bringing Willie Harris back.
- The Nationals are letting teams know Roger Bernadina is available in trade, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The 27-year-old posted a .243/.301/.362 line in 337 plate appearances this year.
Roy Oswalt Seeking Three-Year Deal
Roy Oswalt is looking to sign a three-year contract, sources tell MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan and Bill Ladson (Twitter link). Oswalt is thought to be waiting out the market, since interest in the right-hander may increase once top options like C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle are off the board.
Nakajima High Bidder Announcement Expected Today
4:58pm: Despite some reports that suggested otherwise, the Red Sox were not the winning team in the Nakajima bidding, tweets Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.
10:31am: The Seibu Lions will accept the highest posting bid for shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima today, reports NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman via the Japanese press. The winning team is expected to be made public as well. That team will then have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Nakajima.
Pirates Close To Deals With Betemit, McLouth
4:41pm: The Pirates are closing in on a one-year deal with McLouth, says MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. She adds that the agreement isn't expected to be finalized until Wednesday.
4:14pm: The Pirates are moving closer to deals with Wilson Betemit and Nate McLouth, tweets Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
We heard yesterday about Pittsburgh's interest in a reunion with McLouth, who hit .228/.344/.333 in 321 appearances with the Braves this season. Betemit, meanwhile, did not receive an arbitration offer from the Tigers and hit the free agent market coming off a season in which he posted a .795 OPS in 359 plate appearances in Detroit and Kansas City.
Jimmy Rollins Rumors: Tuesday
The latest on free agent shortstop Jimmy Rollins…
- Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he thinks there's a "big chance" Rollins returns to the Phillies, tweets Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel he met with Rollins' agent Dan Lozano at the start of the Winter Meetings, but no proposal was made.
- The Phillies met late into the night with Lozano on Rollins, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. No meeting is expected between the two parties today, but Lozano is a busy man with Albert Pujols and Carlos Beltran as clients.
NL West Notes: Sherrill, Saunders, Thayer, Moseley
Winter Meetings notes from the NL West:
- The Rockies are eyeing left-handed relief help and George Sherrill is on their list of targets, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Mariners have also checked in on Sherrill, Morosi adds.
- Joe Saunders' camp provided the Diamondbacks with a counter-offer to the contract the club proposed yesterday, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Scott Miller of CBS Sports discusses the decision Arizona is facing on Saunders.
- The Padres signed Dale Thayer to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter).
- Dustin Moseley, who had surgery on his non-throwing in August, is a non-tender candidate for the Padres, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.
Rays Sign Four To Minor League Deals
The Rays have signed Juan Miranda, Matt Mangini, Jhonny Nunez, and Ricky Orta to minor league contracts, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
Of the four signings, the 28-year-old Miranda is the most intriguing. He spent a good chunk of 2011 in the bigs with the Diamondbacks, posting a .717 OPS in 202 plate appearances.
NL Central Notes: Lee, Betancourt, Melvin, Darvish
Tuesday afternoon's NL Central items:
- Carlos Lee's limited no-trade clause supersedes his ten-and-five rights, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter). The Astros have reportedly been telling teams they'll eat half of Lee's salary in a trade.
- The Brewers have talked to Yuniesky Betancourt's agent about bringing the shortstop back, but haven't made an offer, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- In a piece for Baseball America, Haudricourt explains why Brewers GM Doug Melvin was baseball's top executive in 2011.
- Manager Dale Sveum says the Cubs haven't talked about bidding on Yu Darvish, tweets Yahoo's Steve Henson.
Free Agent Notes: Young, Rowand, Manny, Francisco
Free agent notes I found lying around on Twitter…
- Righty Chris Young should be ready for spring training following shoulder capsule surgery, his agent told MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- Aaron Rowand is looking for a big league job, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The Phillies said no.
- Manny Ramirez is calling teams directly in his search for employment, tweets Bob Klapisch.
- Reliever Frank Francisco is likely to sign elsewhere in the wake of the Blue Jays acquiring Sergio Santos, GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters today.
- Infielder Miguel Tejada hopes for a Major League deal, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
- More than a dozen scouts are expected to watch Joel Zumaya throw next week, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, and Padres are among the team's that will be in attendance.
- Sidney Ponson has no intention of pitching again, writes MASNSports.com's Roch Kubatko. Currently, Ponson is contemplating whether to purchase a boat. I say go for it, big guy!
Mets Closing In On Deal With Jon Rauch
The Mets are closing in on a deal with free agent reliever Jon Rauch, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter). Adam Rubin of ESPN New York tweeted earlier that the two sides were making progress and had "good talks."
If the Mets reach an agreement with Rauch, the Blue Jays, who offered arbitration to the Type B free agent, would receive a compensation draft pick.
Originally published on December 6th at 7:40pm.