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Blue Jays Acquire Sergio Santos

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The Blue Jays acquired reliever Sergio Santos from the White Sox for righty prospect Nestor Molina, announced the team.

Santos

In Santos, 28, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos found his closer on the trade market.  The converted infielder posted a 3.55 ERA, 13.1 K/9, 4.1 BB/9, 0.85 HR/9, and 43% groundball rate in 63 1/3 innings for the White Sox this year, saving 30 games in 36 tries.  He was formerly a shortstop in Toronto's minor league system from 2006-08.  It was surprising to see Santos (pictured) dealt, as there had been no rumors and he signed a three-year, $8.25MM deal with the Sox in September.  The contract includes three club options, so the Blue Jays have cost certainty on Santos potentially through 2017.  For fantasy analysis of Toronto's Santos acquisition, check out Bryan Grosnick's post at CloserNews.    

Molina, 22, posted a 2.21 ERA, 10.2 K/9, 1.1 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 130 1/3 innings across High and Double-A this year.  Molina is a converted infielder himself, and appears close to MLB-ready.  Though Molina was not among the Blue Jays' top 30 prospects in Baseball America's handbook before the season, his stock presumably rose with his excellent 2011.  Molina is a good prospect who doesn't offer much projection, writes ESPN's Keith Law.  Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus agrees, saying "his stuff falls well below his statistics," and he projects as a #4 starter with a shot at becoming a #3.

"This is the start of a rebuilding," White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters today, noting that it is not "the start of falling domino rebuilding."  Santos himself was affordable, but perhaps Williams preferred a future rotation candidate in Molina.  A lot is riding on Molina after this surprising one-for-one swap.  Given Williams' rebuilding comment, look for plenty of rumors regarding John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Carlos Quentin, and others in the coming weeks, although the offers have disappointed Williams to date.  

Anthopoulos and Williams matched up once before, on the July deal that sent Jason Frasor and Zach Stewart to Chicago for Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen.  

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Tigers, Blue Jays, Padres Inquired On Daniel Murphy

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TUESDAY, 11:19am: In reference to Murphy, a Mets official told ESPNNewYork's Adam Rubin, "Some players are more valuable to us than other clubs."

MONDAY, 2:19pm: The Tigers, Blue Jays, and Padres inquired on Mets infielder Daniel Murphy, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Sherman adds that the Mets like the Tigers' Andy Dirks as a potential center field alternative to Angel Pagan.

Murphy, 26, hit .320/.362/.448 in 423 plate appearances while playing first base, second base, and third base this year.

Royals Rumors: Needs, Guillen, Lowe

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Yesterday the Royals were linked to Oakland's Gio Gonzalez and free agent Carlos Guillen, and it was also suggested they'd listen on relievers Joakim Soria and Greg Holland.  The latest on the team:

  • The Royals seek a right-handed alternative to play third base and give Mike Moustakas an occasional break, GM Dayton Moore told Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  Casey Blake and Kevin Kouzmanoff are a couple of free agents who could fit the bill, in my opinion.
  • The Royals have a full 40-man roster, so they'd have to free up a spot to make a Rule 5 pick on Thursday.
  • The Royals tried for Derek Lowe before the Braves traded him to the Indians.
  • Manager Ned Yost told Dutton the Royals would like to add a situational lefty to serve as an alternative to Tim Collins.  Check out the free agent lefty relievers here.
  • Moore seemed to acknowledge interest in Guillen, but noted, "I think there are going to be quite a few players like that around in January if we want to supplement our team."  
  • Dutton confirmed the Royals' interest in Gonzalez with a source, though they currently don't like the Athletics' asking price of multiple impact prospects.
  • Regarding unfounded lobby rumors yesterday, Moore commented to reporters including MLB.com's Dick Kaegel, "I'd like to keep Wil Myers' name out of the paper as much as possible.  Wil Myers is a young, talented player. He had a tremendous Arizona Fall League. We live with him every day. We love him and he's a big part of our future. But he's a Double-A player. He's going to produce at his own natural rate. We're not going to put unrealistic expectations on him. What other cliche do you want?"

MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker

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MLBTR has an excellent free agent tracker that allows you to filter by team, position, signing status, contract years, and contract amount.  We recently added totals when you filter by team, so for example you can quickly see that the Dodgers have spent $37.050MM this offseason.  Also, hyperlinked player names lead you to MLBTR's post on the signing.  Keep up with the Winter Meetings madness with our free agent tracker!

Day In Review: Top Stories From Day 1

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Here's a look back at the top stories from the first day of the 2011 Winter Meetings (dating back to Sunday evening):

  • The Marlins proved they meant business with their big name free agent pursuits when they reeled in Jose Reyes on a six-year, $106MM contract that will likely push franchise cornerstone Hanley Ramirez over to third base. Incredibly, the Mets will only receive Miami's third-round pick (at best) plus a supplemental rounder as compensation for Reyes.
  • You'd think that would be it for the Marlins, but they've got a reported ten-year offer on the table to Albert Pujols. That number has to make Cardinals fans nervous.
  • The Angels have emerged as the front-runners for C.J. Wilson, but the Marlins are in on him as well. The Rangers are set to make their first formal offer today, and the Nationals have shown interest as well.
  • Wilson isn't Washington's top priority though; that honor goes to Mark Buehrle, who also has offers from the Rangers, the Marlins (surprise!), the Twins (actual surprise!), and a mystery team.
  • Prince Fielder just doesn't seem to be a good fit anywhere. Currently, the Orioles and Mariners have shown some degree of interest, while the Dodgers and Brewers likely can't afford him.
  • The Phillies' first meeting with Jimmy Rollins' agent Dan Lozano didn't go well. The Phils would love Rollins back, but not at five years, which has led them to pursue Aramis Ramirez as a backup plan. They're shopping Placido Polanco to make that fit more logical.
  • The Twins re-signed Matt Capps to a one-year, $4.5MM deal with a $6MM club option ($250K buyout). Minnesota could've netted a free supplemental round pick by letting Capps sign elsewhere.
  • The Dodgers signed Jerry Hairston Jr. to a two-year, $6MM deal and are nearing another two-year pact with Aaron Harang, believed to be worth around $12MM.
  • Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has decided against becoming the next general manager of the Astros. Friedman, a Houston native, was said to be their top choice.
  • The Red Sox and Athletics will meet on Tuesday to discuss a potential Andrew Bailey trade.
  • I'd be remiss not to mention the return of Manny Ramirez to the baseball world. Ramirez has filed for reinstatement and will only be required to serve a 50-game suspension, should a team decide that gambling on the upside of his bat is worth the front row seat to the "Manny Being Manny" show.

Overnight Links: O’s, LaRoche, Giants, Quentin

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I'll be at the wheel until 8am again as part of MLBTR's 24/7 Winter Meetings coverage. Here's tonight's batch of overnight quick hits that will be updated throughout the wee hours of the morning…

New York Notes: Mets, Izzy, Williams, Murphy

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Some New York links for you die-hards/insomniacs/early-risers on the East coast…

  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff feels that public relations needs to stop being such a factor in the Mets' thinking. His plan for 2012 consists of keeping Angel Pagan and Mike Pelfrey, and signing Frank Francisco to close. If and when they're out of it in July, Davidoff feels Pagan and Pelfrey, along with a solid bullpen arm like Francisco and a revitalized David Wright would fetch a plentiful bounty.
  • The Mets' lengthy shopping list consists of a closer, setup man, utility infielder, two backup outfielders, and a catcher, according to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (on Twitter). Heyman says the largest expenditure for the Amazins will be the closer.
  • On a related note, Heyman tweets that the Mets will speak with Jason Isringhausen, though their offer won't be overwhelming.
  • In his latest article, Joel Sherman of the New York Post says that some within the Yankees organization feel that 20-year-old center fielder Mason Williams has emerged as their top prospect. While he's yet to even reach High-A ball, Mason possess five tools and the Yankees expect him to develop quickly.
  • Sherman also notes that of the three teams that inquired on Daniel Murphy earlier today, the Tigers are the most interested. They view Murphy as a potential third base replacement for Brandon Inge.

Knobler’s Latest: Braves, Beckham, Tigers, Rays

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Some Winter Meetings rumors courtesy of CBS Sports' Danny Knobler:

  • Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado continue to be "as sought after as any players" on the trade market. Atlanta has received calls from 8-10 teams on Jurrjens and "half the teams in baseball" on Prado. Most see Prado as a second base upgrade. The Braves continue to say they don't need to move either player.
  • It's been well-documented that the White Sox could trade any combination of John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Carlos Quentin this offseason, but Knobler says they'll listen on Gordon Beckham as well. Many Sox officials are hesitant to concede to rebuilding, despite the fact that GM Ken Williams used that exact word last month.
  • If the Tigers are going to make a big free agent signing, it's more likely to be Yoenis Cespedes than anyone else.
  • The Rays are open to trading Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis to improve the offense. They're also looking to deal Reid Brignac and upgrade their catching.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Monday

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The latest on free agent slugger Prince Fielder…

  • Fielder is too pricey to fit into the Dodgers' plans, writes Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. That point is illustrated by GM Ned Colletti's rhetorical response when asked about the free agent slugger on Monday: "Can we sign Prince for $3 million this year and $30 million the next year?"
  • Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik seemed to suggest today that the Mariners have discussed Fielder with Scott Boras, writes MLB.com's Greg Johns. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times views the GM's comments as a sign that the M's are in a holding pattern, waiting to see if Fielder's price tag will come down.
  • The Nationals are focused on pitching, and won't be a player for Fielder or Albert Pujols, a Nats source tells Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).
  • The Brewers are indicating that they're out of the running for Fielder and are moving on, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
  • The market for Fielder appears to be shrinking, hears Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel from team executives.
  • A person who knows Fielder tells ESPN's Jerry Crasnick comfort is important to the slugger and he's not necessarily going to chase the most money.
  • The Orioles are interested in Fielder, confirmed GM Dan Duquette.  However, Duquette also told Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com that he doesn't want fans to get their hopes up.  The Orioles' interest in Fielder is the secret mandate of owner Peter Angelos, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  I think a team's owner will be involved no matter where Fielder signs.

Red Sox, A’s To Discuss Bailey Tuesday

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4:00am: A team source tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that the Red Sox will make an attempt on Bailey (Twitter link).

12:41am: The Red Sox have yet to be aggressive on the Andrew Bailey front, but will meet with Oakland to discuss the former AL Rookie of the Year tomorrow, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.

Bailey, 27, is a logical target for the BoSox who lost Jonathan Papelbon to free agency very early this offseason. The Red Sox haven't hidden their interest in acquiring a closer. One report stated that it was their second priority behind David Ortiz, and they've been linked to Ryan Madson multiple times. It also appears that top setup man Daniel Bard is comfortable transitioning to the rotation should new GM Ben Cherington acquire a closer.

Bailey, who posted a 3.24 ERA and 8.9 K/9 with 24 saves in 41 2/3 innings this season, has also drawn interest from the Padres, Angels, and Rangers.

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