Jose Reyes Rumors: Friday
Earlier today we learned that the Marlins are "putting an all-out press" on Jose Reyes, and they are considering increasing their initial offer from the $75-90MM range. Here's the latest on the free agent shortstop…
- The Marlins have not given Reyes any kind of deadline or ultimatum according to Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel (on Twitter). They are prepared to wait him out beyond the winter meetings if necessary.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson did touch base with Reyes' representatives today, reports Joel Sherman of The New York Post (all Twitter links). Andy McCullough of The Star Ledger says the team is still waiting for Reyes' side to come back with an offer for them to match, a right they expect to have. The Mets would reportedly offer five years and $80MM, but not a sixth guaranteed year.
- Adam Rubin of ESPN New York points out that if Reyes signs with the Marlins, the Mets would only receive Florida's third round pick as compensation. The Marlins' first round pick is protected, and their second rounder is technically going to the Padres since Heath Bell is a higher ranked free agent than Reyes. The Fish will keep their second rounder with a made-up pick going to San Diego, but an MLB official confirmed that it will be treated the same way as previous years.
- It does not appear that Reyes will be signing with anyone before the winter meeting start on Monday, reports Newsday's David Lennon (on Twitter).
Twins Interested In Jeff Francis And Edwin Jackson
The Twins were among the finalists for Chris Capuano before the left-hander signed with the Dodgers, and now they're turning their attention to Jeff Francis and Edwin Jackson according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They've had preliminary discussions with Francis' agent and are likely to continue talks at the winter meetings next week.
Jackson, a Scott Boras client, would not a cost draft to sign as a Type-B free agent, but Minnesota is wary of his price tag according to Morosi. At the moment, the Twinkies have Carl Pavano, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Francisco Liriano, Kevin Slowey, and Brian Duensing as potential starters, but Baker, Liriano, and Blackburn have injury concerns and Slowey is a non-tender candidate.
Red Sox Notes: Ortiz, Cespedes, Madson, Bell
Now that they have a new manager, the Red Sox can focus on improving their roster at next week's winter meetings. Here's the latest from Boston…
- Bobby Valentine was introduced as the Red Sox's new manager yesterday, and today he flew down to the Dominican Republic to meet with free agent DH David Ortiz according to Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. "I've said 1,000 times that I want to come back to the Red Sox," said Ortiz.
- Valentine's trip to the Dominican Republic will not include any kind of visit with Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes due to a schedule conflict, reports Jim Bowden of MLB Network (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox continue to maintain dialogue with agent Scott Boras about free agent closer Ryan Madson, tweets Bowden. They also had discussions with Heath Bell's agent before he agreed to join the Marlins, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford.
- Boston's priorities (in order) are Ortiz, a closer, a starting pitcher, and a right-handed hitting outfielder tweets Bowden.
- Regardless of who they hired to manage, the Red Sox did not intend to lose hitting coach Dave Magadan according to The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo (on Twitter).
Padres Hire Omar Minaya
The Padres announced that they have hired Omar Minaya. The former Mets and Expos GM will be San Diego's senior VP of baseball operations under GM Josh Byrnes.
“His experience, knowledge, evaluative skills and connections throughout the industry will be invaluable for us,” Byrnes said in a statement.
The Mets dismissed Minaya 14 months ago and though a role in the current front office was a possibility, it never materialized. The Mets paid him approximately $1.1MM in 2011 and owe him the same amount in 2012. The Angels interviewed Minaya for the GM job that went to Jerry Dipoto earlier in the offseason. The Brewers, Blue Jays, Indians and Red Sox also had interest in adding Minaya to their respective front offices.
Minaya will serve as a sounding board and evaluate amateur and professional players, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of SI.com first reported the hiring (Twitter link).
Minor Moves: Ford, Hernandez, Pagnozzi, Brown
The most recent minor moves from around MLB…
- The Mariners signed Darren Ford to a minor league deal, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). The Giants had designated him for assignment last month.
- The Astros announced that they signed infielder Diory Hernandez to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training. The 27-year-old, who has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Braves, posted a .201/.229/.308 line in 289 Triple-A plate appearances this past season.
- The Rangers signed catcher Dusty Brown, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America, who has details on the week's minor moves. Brown, 29, has big league experience with the Red Sox and Pirates. He posted a .285/.367/.506 line in 199 Triple-A plate appearances in 2011.
- The Indians announced that they signed catcher Matt Pagnozzi to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to Spring Training. Pagnozzi, who has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past three seasons, posted a .275/.337/.421 line for the Rockies' top affiliate in 2011.
Dodgers Sign Chris Capuano
The Dodgers announced that they signed left-hander Chris Capuano to a two-year contract that rounds out the team's rotation and may signify the end of Hiroki Kuroda's tenure in Los Angeles. The $10MM deal includes an $8MM mutual option for 2014 and $1MM in incentives. Capuano joins Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly and Nathan Eovaldi in the Dodgers' rotation after a bounce-back season with the Mets.
“Chris is an established Major League starting pitcher who adds to our staff,” GM Ned Colletti said in a statement. “He made more than 30 starts last season was a reliable part of the Mets rotation.”
Capuano, who has had two Tommy John surgeries, didn’t pitch in the Major Leagues in 2008 or 2009. He returned to the Brewers in 2010 and pitched effectively, mostly out of the bullpen. Then, in 2011, he posted a 4.55 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9 and a 42.7% ground ball rate in 186 innings for the Mets. His unsightly ERA may be deceptive, since xFIP (3.67) and SIERA (3.60) suggest he pitched better. The Moye Sports Associates client placed 33rd on MLBTR’s list of top free agents. Ben Nicholson-Smith projected a two-year, $8MM deal for Capuano when he examined his free agent value earlier in the offseason and MLBTR's Steve Adams correctly predicted the Capuano-Dodgers pairing in MLBTR's free agent prediction contest.
The Dodgers have been aggressive this offseason, signing infielders Mark Ellis and Adam Kennedy, catcher Matt Treanor and outfielder Juan Rivera. They also locked up Matt Kemp to an eight-year, $160MM extension, so most of Colletti's offseason shopping is likely done.
Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio first reported the agreement and its terms (Twitter links) and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times added detail. Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.
Padres Interested In Andrew Bailey
The Padres are interested in acquiring Athletics closer Andrew Bailey to replace Heath Bell, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). It remains likely that the A's will trade Bailey, Olney writes.
The Rangers, Mets, Blue Jays, Mariners and Reds are also interested in Bailey, one of Billy Beane's main offseason trade chips. The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 3.24 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 41 2/3 innings in 2011 after recovering a forearm strain that sidelined him early in the season. MLBTR projects a $3.5MM salary for Bailey in 2012.
Luke Gregerson, Ernesto Frieri and Josh Spence are projected to return to a Padres bullpen that also included Bell, Mike Adams and Chad Qualls six months ago. San Diego obtains two compensatory draft picks for losing Bell, who agreed to a three-year, $27MM deal with the Marlins yesterday.
Marlins Eyeing Aramis, Pursuing Reyes, Buehrle
The Marlins have discussed the possibility of signing Prince Fielder and some of their front office executives like the idea of pursuing the 27-year-old free agent, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, Miami is more active in its pursuit of Albert Pujols and other top free agents. The latest:
- The Marlins are putting an all-out press on Jose Reyes and hope to sign him before next week's Winter Meetings, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).
- However, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hears that the Marlins have made so little headway with Reyes that they could make a push for Aramis Ramirez (Twitter links). Agent Paul Kinzer acknowledges he has had some discussions with the Marlins, but says talks are now becoming serious with four teams.
- The biggest obstacle preventing Mark Buehrle from signing in Miami is the team's reluctance to give him a no-trade clause, according to Rosenthal. The holdup in the talks may push the Marlins to pursue another free agent lefty, C.J. Wilson. The Rangers and Angels are also in the mix for Wilson, while the Nationals like both Wilson and Buehrle. Though Buehrle prefers the Midwest, he'd be happy to join former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen in the National League, Rosenthal reports.
Rosenthal On Capuano, Fielder, Marlins, Red Sox
The Twins offered Chris Capuano a two-year deal before he accepted the Dodgers' offer, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Here are more of Rosenthal's notes from around MLB…
- The Marlins have discussed Prince Fielder internally and some team officials like the idea of pursuing him, according to Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi. However, they're more focused on Albert Pujols. Agent Scott Boras is telling teams that Fielder is the last available young power bat until Mike Stanton hits free agency.
- The Pirates were also pursuing Capuano before he signed, Morosi tweets.
- One GM says other teams backed off from Jose Reyes after the Marlins offered him $90MM over six years.
- The Cardinals offered Albert Pujols a nine-year deal worth $190-200MM in Spring Training and haven’t changed their proposal since.
- The Red Sox are exploring every trade possibility and considering every free agent closer, according to Rosenthal. Boston is hoping to find a bargain somewhere in the crowded market for top-tier relievers.
Brewers Looking For Bullpen, Infield Help
The Brewers stand to lose both Takashi Saito and Francisco Rodriguez to free agency this winter, and GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel that he plans to talk to agents and look for bullpen help at the Winter Meetings next week (all Twitter links). Furthermore, the club is also looking to add infield help, though the only player they are actively trying to sign right now is Jerry Hairston Jr.
Jimmy Rollins, Alex Gonzalez, Rafael Furcal, and 2011 Brewer Yuniesky Betancourt are among the shortstops the club has checked in on. Melvin said he plans to meet with Betancourt's agent next week. Last week we heard that Milwaukee has already offered Hairston a one-year deal, but several other teams are interested as well. Melvin also confirmed that he does not have any offers out to free agent relievers at the moment.