Buehrle Narrows Field To Five Teams
Yesterday we learned that four teams — the Marlins, Nationals, Rangers, and Twins – have made offers to long-time White Sox southpaw Mark Buehrle. We'll run down all of the rumors surrounding the man with 11 straight seasons of 201+ innings here…
- Buehrle doesn't seem to be a real option for the Cardinals, tweets B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest.
- Buehrle is seeking a four-year deal, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan and Bill Ladson.
- The Rangers and Nationals are the most serious and realistic destinations for Buehrle, hears Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio and ESPN. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo feels there was a connection when he met with Buehrle.
- MLB.com's Anthony DiComo suggests the Mets are a surprising finalist for Buehrle, but GM Sandy Alderson seemed to shoot down the notion of spending big bucks on a free agent starter. Alderson flat-out said it's not happening, according to Adam Rubin.
- Buehrle has narrowed the field to five teams, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The Rangers and Marlins are believed among them, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The Nationals are another, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
Orioles Rumors: Quentin, Floyd, Koji, Street, Erbe
The latest on the Orioles:
- Baltimore has interest in Carlos Quentin and Gavin Floyd, but it's unclear if they match up with the White Sox, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Sox would like young pitching and the O's don't want to give that up, Connolly adds. Brad Bergesen was one name floated by Baltimore in trade talks, tweets MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
- The Orioles are talking to the Rangers about re-acquiring Koji Uehara, according to Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- A club official told Connolly that there's "no chance" the team wants Alfonso Soriano (Twitter link).
- The Orioles are telling other clubs that Adam Jones is off limits, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that talks between the Orioles and Rockies about Huston Street have "no traction" (Twitter link).
- GM Dan Duquette says he has several offers out to free agent position players and pitchers, and adds that the club was in on Kevin Slowey before the Twins sent him to the Rockies, tweets Ghiroli.
- The O's have re-signed Brandon Erbe to a minor league contract, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.
AL West Rumors: Bailey, Jackson, Gonzalez, Rangers
The latest out of the AL West:
- The Athletics' asking price for Andrew Bailey is currently too high for the Rangers to consider him, tweets Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Rangers' read on Bailey matches up with comments made by A's GM Billy Beane yesterday — he said many teams he'd talked to walked away wondering whether any A's were actually available, as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.
- Within Slusser's piece, she writes that the Athletics are considering Conor Jackson as a short-term outfield addition.
- The Athletics are looking for young, high-upside outfielders in any Gio Gonzalez trade, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Yankees may have to consider a three-team deal if they want to acquire the lefty, since they don't have any outfielders in the high minors that fit that bill.
- Nothing is imminent, but ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick tweets the Rangers are looking into possible contract extensions for many of their core players, including Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, and Mike Napoli.
C.J. Wilson Rumors: Monday
The latest on free agent lefty C.J. Wilson…
- The Angels talked with Wilson's agent late into Monday night, tweets Scott Miller of CBS Sports. The Angels and Marlins remain in the thick of the Wilson sweepstakes, according to Jon Paul Morosi. Wilson's agent met with the Angels on Monday and will speak with the Marlins on Tuesday. The Marlins "are as aggressive as anyone" (Twitter links here).
- The Rangers are set to make their first offer of the offseason to Wilson on Tuesday, writes ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
- The Angels are making a "serious push" for Wilson, tweets Morosi.
- According to Morosi (via Twitter), the Red Sox are still involved in the Wilson sweepstakes. Morosi's fellow FOX scribe Ken Rosenthal adds in a separate tweet that the Cubs have spoken with Garber in an attempt to gauge the market for the southpaw.
- Wilson has a six-year offer in hand from a team other than the Rangers, reports Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Rangers, Angels, Marlins, Nationals, and a mystery team are currently in the mix, and it's known that the Nationals did not offer six years. Wilson hopes to sign this week, but won't sign with a team just because it offered six years. Agent Bob Garber will meet with the Rangers tonight or Tuesday morning. Yesterday, it was reported that Wilson had offers from four teams.
- Wilson and Roy Oswalt are represented by Garber, who said, "I have the two best clients out there. C.J. is comfortable with the process and confident with how things have been going. Roy basically said, 'Take care of C.J. I'll wait in the wings. Once C.J. and [Mark] Buehrle have signed, my market will open up."
Darren Oliver Likely To Return To Rangers
Darren Oliver "appears to be headed back" to the Rangers, tweets Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. Heyman says the Red Sox are also in the mix for the left-hander, but "Dallas is home."
Earlier tonight, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan wrote that the Rangers were in search of left-handed relief, and general manager Jon Daniels' preference was to fill that role with Oliver. The 40-year-old Oliver has spent the last two seasons with Texas, posting a combined 2.40 ERA in 112 2/3 innings with a strong 8.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.
Free Agent Notes: Young, Ross, Cespedes, Oswalt
Stray notes on various free agents…
- Dmitri Young is attending the Winter Meetings in Dallas, searching for a contract offer. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports tweets that Young has lost 70 pounds and would go to Japan if he can't land a job with an MLB team. The 38-year-old last appeared in the bigs in 2008 with the Nationals.
- Outfielder Cody Ross seeks a three-year deal, an NL official tells ESPN's Buster Olney. The 30-year-old hit .240/.325/.405 in 461 plate appearances for the Giants this year, playing all three outfield positions. He told Jaymee Sire of CSN Bay Area that the Giants are his "number one choice" (Twitter link).
- The agent for soon-to-be free agent center fielder Yoenis Cespedes is telling teams he'll require twice what fellow Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman received, tweets ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes. That is, $60MM. The Rangers, by the way, are unlikely to pursue Cespedes, hears MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- Roy Oswalt's camp is waiting for C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle to sign to see the exact market, as most teams view Oswalt as a fallback option, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal underwent an appendectomy last week, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown, and is recovering well at home in Florida.
- Teams are looking at Edgar Renteria as a multi-position utility guy, including third base, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Renteria wants to play for a contender.
Mark Buehrle Rumors: Monday
The latest on free agent left-hander Mark Buehrle…
- An NL executive speculated to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) that the first team to offer Buehrle four years might get him. Meanwhile, Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio tweets that another one of the 14 teams interested in the lefty just extended a first offer.
- The Twins, Nationals, Marlins, and Rangers are in on Buehrle, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but the Twins' offer is not as strong as the others. The other teams are believed to be in the three-year, $36-39MM range. Yesterday, we learned that Buehrle is the Nationals' top target and the Marlins have made him a strong offer. The inclusion of a no-trade clause will be a factor.
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.
Twins Inquired On David Murphy
The Twins inquired on Rangers outfielder David Murphy, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Rangers are reluctant to compromise their outfield depth.
Murphy, 30, hit .275/.328/.401 in 440 plate appearances this year while playing all three outfield positions. Murphy is arbitration eligible for the second time this winter and MLBTR projects a $3.2MM salary for 2012.
Four Teams Checked In On Mark DeRosa
MONDAY: The Giants have expressed interest in re-signing DeRosa, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark.
FRIDAY: Mark DeRosa doesn't expect any team to guarantee him an everyday job, but he does want the chance to prove that his left wrist is healthy. The free agent utility player told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Nationals, Rangers, Indians and Pirates have all spoken with his surgeon and that the Giants have some interest in re-signing him despite his recent injury.
“I definitely understand the concerns," DeRosa told Rosenthal. "If it wasn’t for my wrist getting banged up two years ago, I wouldn’t be in this position.”
DeRosa played in just 47 games in 2011 because of a strained left wrist. The versatile 36-year-old was productive in 2009, posting a .250/.319/.433 line and appearing at five different positions for the Indians and Cardinals. However, he has struggled to stay on the field since signing a two-year deal with the Giants two Decembers ago. When he did play for the Giants, DeRosa posted a forgettable .235/.313/.279 line.
DeRosa, who would like to be closer to his Atlanta home, may have to sign a minor league deal and play his way onto a roster next spring.