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Alderson On Gregorius, Flores, Pitchers, Trades

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Here’s the latest from Mets exec Sandy Alderson, via Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

  • The Mets currently appear slated to head into 2015 with Wilmer Flores at shortstop, Alderson says. The team did not have significant discussions with the Diamondbacks about Didi Gregorius before Gregorius was traded to the Yankees. “We knew Arizona was looking for young pitching,” says Alderson. “There’s some young pitching we weren’t prepared to trade, but I can’t say we had a lot of extensive conversations with Arizona.” The Diamondbacks reportedly asked for Noah Syndergaard in exchange for Gregorius.
  • Rubin writes that the team has had talks with the Mariners about Brad Miller and Chris Taylor, but they could wait until January to acquire shortstop (if they do acquire one), whether that’s through a trade or through the signing of someone like Jed Lowrie.
  • The Mets are also looking for a left-handed reliever and a right-handed bench bat, but Alderson suggests they could wait until after the Winter Meetings to obtain them.
  • Likewise, the Mets could wait to trade one of their starting pitchers — likely Bartolo Colon, Jon Niese or Dillon Gee — until later this offseason. “[Y]ou look at the free-agent market — not a lot has happened on the pitching side,” says Alderson. “Some of that activity may have to take place before we’re able to really have serious discussions with anyone on a possible trade.”
  • Alderson says he is not overly worried about the possibility of trading Niese and being without a lefty in the Mets’ starting rotation.

Silverman On Rays’ Payroll, Catchers, Outfielders

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Here’s the latest from Rays president of baseball operations Matt Silverman on the team’s offseason strategy, all via the Twitter feed of the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin.

  • The Rays’ 2015 payroll will be lower than it was in 2014, when it was around $80MM. Silverman says, however, that the Rays have no particular payroll figure in mind, and that they’ll have flexibility.
  • The Rays are looking for an experienced catcher to back up Ryan Hanigan, Silverman says.
  • The team could also sign a veteran starting pitcher, similar to Erik Bedard last season, to compete for innings while it waits for Matt Moore to return. Moore had Tommy John surgery last April.
  • The Rays appear likely to trade an outfielder, with Topkin unsurprisingly suggesting Matt Joyce or David DeJesus as the most likely possibilities, given their salaries. Silverman acknowledges that the Rays have had trade conversations regarding their outfielders. Topkin speculates there could be a chance they would trade Desmond Jennings as well.

West Notes: Kemp, Cabrera, Kendrick, Upton

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With the Winter Meetings beginning in San Diego, this could be the week the Dodgers finally deal from their glut of outfielders, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers would prefer to hang onto Matt Kemp, according to Shaikin, but Major League players are not being offered for either Andre Ethier or Carl Crawford.

Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports the Mariners were close to a deal for Kemp with Seattle paying roughly half of the $107 million remaining on his salary over the next five years, but things fell apart when the Dodgers insisted on the inclusion of either Taijuan Walker or James Paxton. In a second article, Dutton lists the Padres and the Orioles as the Mariners’ primary competition for Kemp, with Shaikin adding the Giants are a possibility, if they fail to sign Chase Headley. With Nelson Cruz now in Seattle, Dutton opines the Mariners’ interest in Kemp will depend on what other offers the Dodgers receive. Those other offers may not be to the Dodgers’ liking, as Shaikin notes the Braves (Justin Upton and Evan Gattis), Red Sox (Yoenis Cespedes and Allen Craig), and Phillies (Marlon Byrd) also have right-handed power bats available to trade.

Elsewhere in baseball’s West divisions:

  • Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says the constant rumors that come with running a major market team are “comical,” but he doesn’t necessarily mind it, writes Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “Misinformation can be a powerful tool,” Friedman said.
  • The Mariners are reluctant to part with their young pitching to acquire an outfield bat, according to Dutton. “That’s a little bit of a dangerous road,” said GM Jack Zduriencik. “You look at our pitching staff, and when you analyze it, a couple of those young starters didn’t pitch a lot of innings last year.“
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets the Mariners are very serious about their pursuit of Melky Cabrera. Last week, it was reported the M’s are believed to be willing to offer something similar to the four-year, $57MM deal that they used to sign Cruz.
  • In a separate tweet, Rosenthal posits the Angels are reluctant to trade second baseman Howie Kendrick because of offensive concerns including uncertainity about Josh Hamilton, an unsettled DH situation, and no clear backup catcher.
  • Sources tell ESPN’s Buster Olney (via Twitter) the Giants and Reds are great fits for Justin Upton, but neither match up well with the Braves and may need to involve a third team to swing a deal.
  • Olney also tweets the Astros continue to pursue closer David Robertson and his most lucrative offer might come from Houston.
  • Rockies GM Jeff Bridich tells Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post there has been interest in catcher Wilin Rosario, but Colorado “could very easily go into the season with Wilin.“

Chase Headley Rumors: Sunday

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The Yankees would like to re-sign Chase Headley, but they refuse to go overboard in order to do so.  Meanwhile, the Marlins are interested in the third baseman and the Giants are reportedly getting “aggressive” in their pursuit.  The latest on Headley..

Earlier Updates

  • Headley is said to have gone so far as to suggest to some that the Yankees are his top choice, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Bombers were hoping to work out a three-year deal with Headley but a four-year deal – below $65MM – is something to consider.  The Yankees met with Headley recently.
  • Headley reportedly has an offer for $65MM over four years but sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that the Giants are not in on him at that level.  The Marlins had not yet reached out to Headley’s camp when talk of the the four-year, $65MM first started up, so it would seem that they are not the source of that offer either.

Cubs Tell Other Teams Castro Not Available

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The Cubs have informed other clubs Starlin Castro is not available in trade, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Heyman lists the Mets and Yankees (prior to obtaining Didi Gregorius) as teams who have been told the Cubs want to hang onto the 24-year-old All-Star shortstop. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets the Cubs have also assured Castro he will not be traded this offseason.

With a thin shortstop market and the Cubs having prospects Javier Baez and Addison Russell in the wings, Castro was a popular name for teams in need at the position. The Yankees were able to fill their shortstop vacancy by acquiring Gregorius earlier this week, but the Mets are still in the hunt for an upgrade over Wilmer Flores. Heyman, in a separate report, writes Jimmy Rollins still has not changed his stance on waiving his no-trade clause and the Phillies have relayed that position to the Mets and some other teams.

Padres Notes: Kennedy, Cespedes, Shortstop, Ross

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With the focus of the baseball world on San Diego this week for the Winter Meetings, here’s the latest on the city’s team:

  • The Padres have discussed a trade with the Red Sox involving Ian Kennedy and Yoenis Cespedes, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Boston, however, feels Cespedes can bring back a pitcher better than Kennedy.
  • Rosenthal also tweets the Padres could match up with Texas to fill their hole at shortstop since the Rangers have a surplus at the position and San Diego GM A.J. Preller knows their system very well.
  • The ultimate prize this offseason for the Padres could be Matt Kemp or Justin Upton, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Dennis Lin. While each player comes with substantial risk (Kemp’s contract and Upton being only a year away from free agency), Lin believes the risk is offset by the Padres’ need to land an impact bat to shore up an offense lacking corner infielders and a shortstop.
  • The interest between the Padres and free agent catcher David Ross is mutual, Lin tweets. The Padres, meanwhile, seem intent on moving a catcher. Ross has been connected to the Cubs and Braves, as well as the Padres.
  • If the Padres swing a trade with the Dodgers, Lin (via Twitter) wonders if left-hander Alex Torres could be involved. Torres has history with both Andrew Friedman and Josh Byrnes.

NL East Notes: Braves, Phillies, Mets

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Braves exec John Coppolella, who is effectively the team’s GM-in-training, tells Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com that he’s learning a ton from John Hart. “It comes down to who John is as a person and an executive,” Coppolella said in an e-mail. “He’s a family man who, by nature, is energetic and engaging. He’s not only willing to empower others, but he’s extremely loyal to his people. However, don’t let the fun and loyalty confuse anything — he’s highly intelligent, has almost unparalleled experience and is extremely adept at reading situations and people.”  More from the NL East..

  • The Mets likely made their big move of the offseason when they signed veteran outfielder Michael Cuddyer to a two-year deal in November, but there should still be more tweaks on the way, as Matt Ehalt of The Record writes.
  • The Phillies have had a quiet offseason so far, but things could ramp up at the Winter Meetings, as Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com writes.  The market for Cole Hamels could become clearer once Jon Lester lands somewhere, though it’s still a toss-up as to whether he’ll get moved this winter.
  • The Braves need to add at least one more Major League-ready starting pitcher and assess their outfield needs, which will be influenced by any decision involving  Justin Upton and Evan Gattis, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com.  All in all, Atlanta could be quite busy at the Winter Meetings.

AL East Notes: Yankees, Scherzer, Red Sox

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David Ortiz plans to give some guidance to Hanley Ramirez as he begins his next chapter with the Red Sox, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.  “He looks at me as one of his older brothers,” Ortiz said. “I’m going to try to encourage him to do the right thing as long we keep on playing [together] and probably beyond that because I don’t have the time that he has left. I’m going to, like we normally say, take him under my wing and show him whatever I can help him with and make sure he’s really successful in Boston.”  More from the AL East..

Heyman On Wilson, Tulowitzki, Drew

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The latest from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com..

  • Rival GMs tell tell Heyman that the Angels have made left-hander C.J. Wilson available, causing some to wonder if they might be trying to set up a run at a bigger pitcher via free agency or trade.  The Angels have suggested they aren’t inclined to eat any of his $18MM annual salary and it’s pretty hard to see a deal coming together if they stick to that position.  If they’re able to move Wilson, however, that could open the door for the likes of James Shields or Max Scherzer.
  • People familiar with Troy Tulowitzki’s thinking believe that he’d only have interest in leaving the Rockies for about a half-dozen clubs, writes Heyman.  That list is believed to include the Yankees (who filled their shortstop need last week), Dodgers, Angels, Giants, possibly the Cardinals, and one or two others.  Still, owner Dick Monfort has suggested to inquiring teams that 30-year-old is not available.
  • The Braves have interest in Stephen Drew as a possibility at second base, according to Heyman.  The Yankees, Mets and A’s are among other teams that have been tied to the 31-year-old, though the Bombers now seem less likely after acquiring Didi Gregorius.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Yankees, Markakis, Hamels

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On this date in 2005, the Rangers traded Alfonso Soriano to the Nationals for outfielders Brad Wilkerson and Terrmel Sledge and pitcher Armando Galarraga.  Here’s this week’s look around the baseball blogosphere..

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