Blue Jays Rumors: Johnson, Callaspo, Anthopoulos
Let's round up the newest Blue Jays notes from the Winter Meetings….
- The Blue Jays are unlikely to make a move for a second baseman until they learn whether Kelly Johnson will accept their arbitration offer on Wednesday, tweets MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm. Chisholm says the Jays remain open to the idea of a multiyear deal should Johnson accept. Since Johnson won't cost another team a draft pick to sign, he'll probably turn down arbitration.
- The Jays really like Angels infielder Alberto Callaspo, tweets Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times.
- GM Alex Anthopoulos reiterated that his club isn't interested in seven- or eight-year contracts and that if any free agents require that sort of committment, the Jays "probably won't be a factor" for them (Chisholm Twitter links).
- Anthopoulos said he'd love to make some moves at this week's meetings, but expects it may not be until afterward that things get done, tweets Chisholm. The GM added that this year's meetings are moving much slower than last year's, tweets Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590.
Dodgers, Aaron Harang Making Progress On Deal
5:27pm: Talks between the two sides are still progressing, with terms in the ballpark of two years and $12MM, tweets Rosenthal.
2:23pm: The Dodgers are making progress on a deal with starter Aaron Harang, tweet Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The deal is expected to be for two years, tweets Morosi. Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio adds that the two sides are close to an agreement. Bowden says the two sides have agreed to terms but are just waiting on dotting i's and crossing t's.
Harang, 33, aimed to remain on the West Coast after spending 2011 in his native San Diego. The Dodgers signed Chris Capuano earlier this month. The two veterans would complement a rotation that includes Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, and Ted Lilly.
Harang posted a 3.64 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 1.05 HR/9, and 40.6% groundball rate in 170 2/3 innings for the Padres this year, earning $4MM.
Dodgers Sign Jerry Hairston Jr.
The Dodgers have signed Jerry Hairston Jr. to a two-year deal worth $6MM plus incentives, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 35-year-old has passed his physical. Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports that the contract will pay Hairston $2.25MM in 2012 and $3.75MM in 2013.
Hairston hit .270/.344/.383 in 376 plate appearances for the Brewers and Nationals in 2011. His production was remarkably consistent before and after the Nats moved him at the trade deadline — he had a .727 OPS for both teams. The Brewers and Giants were among the other clubs interested in signing Hairston.
MLB Network's Jon Heyman first reported that Hairston and the Dodgers were getting close to a two-year deal.
Heyman On Wright, Kuroda, Gonzalez, Marlins
Here's the latest from MLB Network's Jon Heyman's Twitter feed:
- The Mets received a couple unsolicited "bad" trade offers for David Wright, but have no plans to move him.
- The Diamondbacks are known to be targeting Hiroki Kuroda, and a report this morning indicated talks between the two sides were getting more serious. However, Heyman spoke to a source who believed it was a "stretch" that the right-handed would sign with Arizona.
- Athletics GM Billy Beane is telling teams he's not anxious to trade Gio Gonzalez.
- One GM called the reported six-year offer on the table to C.J. Wilson "nuts."
- The Marlins continue to say they're serious about their pursuit of Albert Pujols, even with Jose Reyes and Heath Bell on board.
Giants Notes: Beltran, Ross, Hairston Jr.
Bruce Bochy spoke to reporters this afternoon, including John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio, and Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. Here's what the skipper had to say, along with the rest of the latest Giants notes:
- The Giants are happy with their roster as it stands right now, which is not to say that they're not talking about bringing in other players (Twitter link).
- San Francisco has talked to Carlos Beltran and other hitters, but the club has limited budgetary flexibility to attempt to sign them (Twitter link).
- Baggarly hears that Cody Ross doesn't have interest in returning to San Francisco on a one-year deal. If Ross can't find a multiyear offer, he'd like to move to a hitter-friendly location (Twitter link).
- The Giants are no longer pursuing Jerry Hairston Jr., tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
AL West Rumors: Rangers, Gonzalez, Wilson
The latest updates out of the AL West:
- The Rangers are searching for a utility infielder that can play shortstop, but competition is fierce at the Winter Meetings, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sullivan says at least ten teams are looking for a player that fits that description.
- An AL West source told Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston (Twitter link) that he expects the Athletics to move Gio Gonzalez.
- Both the Angels and Rangers have plans to meet with C.J. Wilson's agent Bob Garber at the Winter Meetings. The southpaw is said to have received a six-year offer from a team that is not the Rangers.
Marlins Don’t Intend To Trade Hanley Ramirez
With Jose Reyes in the fold, it appears Hanley Ramirez won't be playing shortstop for the Marlins next season. However, that doesn't mean the club plans to trade him. Owner Jeffrey Loria and president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest both suggested Ramirez would be fine with changing positions and will remain a Marlin.
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports says Loria views Ramirez as "part of the plan, part of the core." The Marlins owner said the team intends to "make everything comfortable" for the 27-year-old. Meanwhile, Beinfest conveyed a similar sentiment, as Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes:
“If something like that happened," said Beinfest, referring to the not-yet-official Reyes signing, "[Ramirez] would change positions. If and when we acquire a shortstop, we’ll address that. Hanley wants to win. We’d like to provide the pieces around him to help him win.”
AL East Rumors: Lowrie, Upton, Maddon, Orioles
The latest buzz out of the AL East…
- A few teams are asking the Red Sox about infielder Jed Lowrie, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Braves are not in the picture for Lowrie, notes Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.
- The Rays are telling teams they will talk about center fielder B.J. Upton, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, but they have to be overwhelmed to move him. Upton has one year remaning before free agency.
- Rays manager Joe Maddon told reporters he's very confident of getting a contract extension, and he's had talks with the team.
- The Orioles are receiving plenty of interest in righty Jim Johnson, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli, but they don't seem intent on moving him. The Orioles are undecided on whether to use Johnson as a starter or reliever next year, manager Buck Showalter told reporters today.
NL Central Rumors: Lee, Soriano, Cardinals, Brewers
The latest on several NL Central teams…
- The Reds are talking about a lot of trade possibilities and talking about a whole range of players, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. It is a possibility the Reds use Yonder Alonso as a trade piece to fix other needs, manager Dusty Baker told Jim Bowden on MLB Netowrk Radio. Baker indicated the Reds will keep prospects Yasmani Grandal and Devin Mesoraco, as well as star first baseman Joey Votto.
- The Reds outrighted lefty Jeremy Horst, dropping their 40-man roster count to 39, according toMLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark tweets that the Astros are letting teams know Carlos Lee is out there. Lee, 35, is owed $18.5MM for 2012 and has ten-and-five rights. A source close to the Astros' ownership tells Stark interim GM David Gottfried has autonomy to make trades this week.
- Speaking of mistakes from the 2006-07 offseason, the Cubs are getting a bit of interest in left fielder Alfonso Soriano, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Soriano, 35, is owed $54MM through 2014 and has a full no-trade clause. I think the Cubs would have to eat over $40MM to move Soriano.
- World Series revenue is not a game-changer for the Cardinals, owner Bill DeWitt Jr. told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the team's payroll is expected to remain around $110MM. The Cardinals have about $80MM committed to eight players under contract for 2012.
- The Brewers are in on everyone at several positions, including shortstop and third base, but are not down the road at all on any of them, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The Brewers are also known to be actively seeking relief help.
Nationals Rumors: Zimmerman, Coffey, Flores
The latest on the Nationals…
- The Nationals prefer not to give players no-trade clauses, but GM Mike Rizzo admitted today that after giving one to Jayson Werth last year he'd do it again for the right player. Rizzo also said he met with two teams and two agents today and he's not close on anything.
- Ryan Zimmerman's camp at CAA says their attempts at securing an extension with the Nationals have been rebuffed, reports ESPN's Jim Bowden. The Nationals, however, maintain that taking care of Zimmerman is an offseason priority. For more on Zimmerman, check out this November post.
- Mark Buehrle is the Nationals' primary starting pitching target, confirms Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com. Roy Oswalt is probably their second choice, and C.J. Wilson is a distant third.
- Free agent reliever Todd Coffey told MLB.com's Bill Ladson, "In my heart of hearts, if it's the right contract, I would look to definitely come back to the Nationals." Ladson hears at least five teams have expressed interest in Coffey so far.
- Nationals catcher Jesus Flores is now represented by Barry Praver, Scott Shapiro, and Bart Hernandez, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. You can track representation for most MLB players in MLBTR's agency database.