Justin Upton Rumors: Sunday
Earlier today, we learned that the budget-conscious Yankees aren't in on Justin Upton at present. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports proposed a scenario in which the Yanks send Curtis Granderson to the Mariners and then parlay that haul into Upton, but it doesn't look like Brian Cashman & Co. are going to join the fray for the Diamondbacks star. We'll keep track of the latest on Upton here..
- D'Backs GM Kevin Towers told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that he won't be giving the outfielder away for cheap and he's not in a rush to move him. Towers also said owner Ken Kendrick is "fine" with them keeping all their outfielders. Kendrick seemed to have a strong preference towards moving Upton when he spoke with Heyman earlier this offseason, but he'll be leaving the call up to Towers.
Yankees Haven’t Intensified Pursuit Of Justin Upton
There are several teams looking into a trade for the Diamondbacks' Justin Upton, but right now it doesn't seem as though the Yankees will be among them. The Bombers would still like to add a right-handed hitter but haven’t picked up their pursuit of Upton since he was nearly dealt to the Mariners, major league sources tell Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Their decision to stay out of the Upton sweepstakes likely has to do with their efforts to get beneath the $189MM tax threshold for 2014. Upton wouldn't fit into that plan as he is owed $38.5MM over the next three years. Morosi proposes that the Yankees could make room for Upton on the payroll and in the outfield by moving Curtis Granderson, who will earn $15MM this season.
Yesterday, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reported that the Braves are "lying in the weeds" in conversations about Upton and the D'Backs are expected to target Mike Olt in any talks with the Rangers.
AL East Notes: Dickerson, Hardy, Orioles, Red Sox
Here's today's look at the American League East..
- Trade talks involving Chris Dickerson never came to life after the outfielder was designated for assignment, reports Chad Jennings of The Journal News. Teams expected him to be released and available as a free agent, and sure enough the Yankees released him on Saturday.
- When asked if the Orioles would have to be overwhelmed to trade shortstop J.J. Hardy, manager Buck Showalter responded "What word is above "overwhelmed?", tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. The Tigers reportedly wanted Hardy in a three-way deal in order to ship Rick Porcello to the Cubs.
- The Yankees are still interested in acquiring a right-handed bat but one baseball official says that the club remains in a holding pattern, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post. The Bombers are interested in Scott Hairston but the outfielder is holding out for a two-year deal while the Nats aren't in a rush to trade Michael Morse.
- A source tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that the Red Sox have shown interest in free agents Casey Kotchman and Lyle Overbay, but there's "nothing active" right now on either front. We learned yesterday that Boston has explored signing Kotchman as well as Nick Johnson.
- Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald looks at what it might take for the Red Sox to pry Mike Morse away from the Nationals.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Dickerson, Cabrera, Hendrickson, Neal
Earlier today we learned the Phillies signed Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal, now here are the rest of Saturday's minor moves…
- The Yankees have released Chris Dickerson according to the MLB.com transactions page. New York designated the 30-year-old outfielder for assignment after claiming Russ Canzler last week. Dickerson hit .316/.417/.515 in Triple-A last year and received a September call-up.
- Fernando Cabrera signed a minor league deal with the Angels, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Cabrera, 31, owns a 5.24 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 across parts of seven career big league seasons. The right-handed reliever spent last season with the Mets' Triple-A affiliate.
- Mark Hendrickson will have a tryout with the Orioles during their mini-camp next week, reports Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com (Twitter links). The 39-year-old left-hander has not appeared in the big leagues since 2011, and Kubatko says he's trying to reinvent himself as a sidearmer.
- The Indians have released Thomas Neal, the team announced (Twitter links). The 25-year-old outfielder was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster for Nick Swisher earlier this month. The team says they have interest in re-signing Neal, who hit .314/.400/.467 in Double-A last season.
Angels Not Expected To Pursue Kyle Lohse
The Angels are not expected to pursue free agent Kyle Lohse, reports MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (on Twitter). Gonzalez says the team has maxed out their payroll ($160MM or so) and are concerned about how the right-hander would perform in the AL.
Lohse, 34, has drawn little interest this offseason, presumably because he's tied to draft pick compensation. The Angels have remade their rotation this winter, replacing Dan Haren and Ervin Santana with Tommy Hanson, Jason Vargas, and Joe Blanton. Jerome Williams and Garrett Richards serve as depth.
Nationals Showing “Heavy Interest” In Javier Vazquez
The Nationals are showing "heavy interest" in Javier Vazquez, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). He says scouts are raving about the right-hander, who is throwing 92-95 mph during winter ball in Puerto Rico.
Vazquez, 36, sat out the 2012 season after pitching to a 3.69 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 192 2/3 innings for the Marlins in 2011. The ACES client has been scouted by the Red Sox, White Sox, Phillies, Royals, Rays, and Mets in recent weeks, but he remains undecided about a return next season. Vazquez has favored East Coast teams throughout his career.
The Nationals already have a stacked rotation featuring Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Dan Haren, and Ross Detwiler. They do lack a left-handed reliever though, so Detwiler could shift to the bullpen with Vazquez taking his spot in the rotation.
Reds Notes: Rolen, Choo, Bruce
As Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote this week, Reds GM Walt Jocketty knows the value of adapting on the go. Jocketty had some curveballs thrown his way this winter but was able to adjust and put together a solid lineup in Cincinnati. “You have to have a plan, an initial plan, and you have to adapt,” said Jocketty. “We had several things planned last winter but you’ll have more than one plan — put it that way. You just have a basic plan and you work your way through it.” Here's a few more notes on the Reds, courtesy of John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer..
- Scott Rolen hasn't told the club whether he wants to play or retire, but manager Dusty Baker sounds prepared to move on without the veteran. “It’s getting late,” Baker said. “Life goes on and business goes on. Since we signed [Jack] Hannahan, it’s getting crowded. Plus, (Todd) Frazier deserves a chance to play," said the skipper.
- The Reds announced that Shin-Soo Choo would be slotted in center field as soon as they traded for him, but Jay Bruce offered to fill the position if necessary. Bruce phoned Baker and volunteered to come in lighter in case Choo is better fit in right than center. The plan remains to use the former Indians slugger in center, however.
- Other than figuring out who goes where in the outfield, the Reds don’t have a lot of questions on their roster. Baker seems comfortable with the team as is, saying that the team is "as set" as it's been in his tenure there.
Phillies Sign Rodrigo Lopez
12:25pm: Lopez will receive $1MM plus incentives if he's on the big league roster, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter).
12:03pm: The Phillies have signed Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, reports Fernando Ballesteros at the Mexican baseball magazine Puro Béisbol. The right-hander confirmed the agreement to Juan Santana at the TV station Canal 3 in Mexico. Nick Collias provided the translation.
Lopez, 37, is a MVP Sports Group client. He appeared in four games with the Cubs last season but spent most of the year in Triple-A, where he posted a 5.28 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 73 1/3 innings. Lopez made 16 starts and threw 97 2/3 innings for the Cubs in 2011. He'll give the Phillies some veteran Triple-A depth behind a workhorse rotation led by Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and John Lannan.
Rockies Do Not Plan To Trade Michael Cuddyer
Earlier this offseason we heard the Rockies were open to trading position players for pitching help, but Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter) the team is not planning to move Michael Cuddyer. Morosi says the Mariners inquired about his availability at one point this winter.
Cuddyer, 33, hit .260/.317/.489 with 16 homers in 394 plate appearances for Colorado last season, the first on his three-year, $31.5MM contract. He missed nearly two months total with oblique problems and is owed $21M over the next two seasons. Cuddyer does offer some versatility because he can play the two corner outfield positions and first base, which surely appealed to Seattle.
Justin Upton Rumors: Saturday
It has been two days since Justin Upton used his no-trade clause to block a trade to the Mariners, which would have sent Taijuan Walker, Nick Franklin, Charlie Furbush, and Stephen Pryor to the Diamondbacks. Yesterday we learned that both the Braves and Mets still have interest in the outfielder, but are unlikely to get involved unless Arizona lowers the asking price. Here is the latest on the 25-year-old Upton…
- The Braves are "lying in the weeds" in conversations about Upton, reports ESPN's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Atlanta would be guaranteed an outfield of Jason Heyward and the two Uptons for three years.
- The Diamondbacks like Mike Olt according to Olney (on Twitter), so presumably he would be someone they target during trade conversations with the Rangers.
- A lot of people within baseball are surprised the Mariners were willing to give up so much for Upton according to Olney (Twitter links). "It's not as if [Seattle] is one player away from contending," said one evaluator. "Why give up that much now when you're still far away?"