Cliff Lee Rumors: Tuesday
We heard yesterday that the market for Cliff Lee was beginning to heat up, and that at least one team would be willing to offer Lee a seven-year deal, but it wasn't the Yankees. Here are today's Lee rumors for your reading pleasure:
- It sounds like the Yankees made Lee an offer. Braunecker spoke to Cashman tonight and when the YES Network's Jack Curry asked if the Yankees presented a proposal, the agent declined comment and smiled (Twitter link).
- The Angels reached out to Lee's representatives and started pursuing him today, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Crasnick hears that it's doubtful Lee signs before the Winter Meetings end.
- The Nationals are not in on Lee, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). GM Mike Rizzo said earlier today that he has some interest in the lefty.
- Though GM Tony Reagins downplayed the Angels-Lee connection, Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse hears that the Halos are discussing Lee and will stay in touch with his agent (Twitter link).
- The Yankees are on the verge of making Lee a lucrative offer and are awaiting the go-ahead from Braunecker, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. GM Brian Cashman says he's ready to get serious.
- Lee now has two seven-year offers for $20MM or more per season, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- Angels GM Tony Reagins tells Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that the Angels are not the mystery team that has offered Lee seven years.
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan is more optimistic about signing Lee this week than he was last week, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter).
- Rizzo confirmed that he met with Lee's agent again, but says the Nationals are a "real long shot" to sign him, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Angels manager Mike Scioscia told Yahoo's Steve Henson that a pitcher like Lee makes a team better (Twitter link).
- Nationals GM Mike Rizzo met with Braunecker for the second time this week today, reports Mark Zuckerman.
- A Yankees official told Feinsand that Lee getting seven-year offer "won't affect what we do." They will not go past six years for the lefty. The Yankees are frustrated with the slow pace of the Lee talks, reports Rosenthal.
- Lee has at least one seven-year offer for $20-25MM – not from the Nationals – tweets Heyman.
- Lee's agent Darek Braunecker described his discussions with the Rangers and Yankees as "positive" and "productive," talking to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Braunecker also said he's "maintaining dialogue" with the Nationals.
- The Nationals are prepared to offer Lee a seven-year deal, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. But talking to two Nationals sources, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports that such an offer has zero chance of happening. The contract length is very important to Lee, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. There is growing speculation among rival executives and agents that the Nationals will throw a huge number at Lee, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes that the Yankees have vowed not to exceed six years or the $161MM that they gave Sabathia for Lee. Sherman feels the Yankees will top out at $144MM-$150MM over six years. As GM Brian Cashman said, Sabathia's presence as an ace makes Lee a "pleasant addition," but not a necessity. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports discusses how signing Lee could affect Sabathia.
Snag In White Sox, Konerko Talks?
10:26pm: White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf still wants the deal to happen and will work to resolve things by tomorrow afternoon, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
10:00pm: White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune that he’s prepared to move on without Konerko and address other needs. "There's no deadline, but we're going to make the first best deal we can," Williams said. The White Sox had plans to discuss alternatives this evening.
5:25pm: There's still "pretty decent optimism" for a deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Konerko's agent is pushing for more than the White Sox want to commit.
4:14pm: There have been "big changes" in the talks, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter links). The Konerko ship may be sailing, Cowley writes. Even though talks have hit a snag, it does seem that there's a fit here.
4:10pm: Snag or no snag, the Orioles expect Konerko to re-sign with the White Sox, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The O's will likely be in on Derrek Lee if that's the case.
12:50pm: The White Sox are not the only team to make a multiyear offer to Konerko, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. No deal is expected today.
10:59am: There could be a snag in the Konerko talks, tweets Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, with the player's agent insisting on $15MM per year.
7:11am: We've heard Paul Konerko's name connected to a few teams over the past several days, including the White Sox, Orioles, Rangers, and Diamondbacks. According to this tweet from SI's Jon Heyman, however, the White Sox are "in the driver's seat" for Konerko.
The Rangers will instead be focusing their efforts on signing Cliff Lee, and Heyman quotes a friend of Konerko who says "no way" on the possibility of him going to the Orioles. The Diamondbacks don't have enough money to win the bidding, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Yesterday, we heard that talks between the White Sox and Konerko were going well, and that he could be in line for a $12.5MM annual salary, possibly over three years. The 34-year-old Konerko enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career, hitting .312/.393/.584 with 39 home runs. He finished fifth in the American League MVP voting.
Yankees, Rangers Finalists For Mark Prior
Cliff Lee isn't the only pitcher the Yankees and Rangers are bidding against each other on. Those two clubs are the finalists for Mark Prior, according to Tom Krasovic of AOLFanHouse (on Twitter). The 30-year-old right-hander has a connection to both clubs; he pitched in the Rangers' minor league system last year and the Yankees selected him 43rd overall in the 1998 draft, but were unable to sign him.
Prior soon became one of the National League's best pitchers after the Cubs drafted him second overall in 2001. He posted a 2.43 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 as a 22-year-old just a year and a half after being drafted. A series of shoulder problems derailed Prior's career, but he has tried to resurrect it with stints in the Padres' and Rangers' systems. He has not pitched in a big league ballgame since 2006.
Rangers Interested In Magglio Ordonez
Why stop at Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, Paul Konerko or Zack Greinke? The Rangers are interested in just about every star player available and Magglio Ordonez is no exception. Ordonez is an alternative the Rangers are looking at in case talks with Vladimir Guerrero don't progress, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Guerrero, who wants a multiyear deal, is the team's first choice, but only on a one-year deal.
The Red Sox are also interested in Ordonez, who sounded optimistic about re-signing in Detroit not long ago. Before fracturing his right ankle last July, the 36-year-old Scott Boras client batted .303/.378/.474 in 365 plate appearances.
Rangers, Cubs Talking Multiplayer Trade
8:52pm: The Cubs like Davis, but don't want to part with much in a trade, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
6:00pm: The Rangers and Cubs are discussing a trade that would send Chris Davis and Darren O'Day to Chicago, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter).
Davis, 24, has the makings of a slugger, but has struggled to realize his potential. He has 39 homers in 872 big league plate apperances, which projects to 25 or 30 over the course of a full season. Davis has a .248/.300/.459 line in parts of three major league seasons and he strikes out in 32% of his plate appearances.
The Rangers claimed O'Day off of waivers from the Mets in 2009 and saw him develop into a valuable cog in their bullpen. The sidearmer has a 1.99 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 117 2/3 innings for Texas.
Matt Garza Rumors: Tuesday
The Rays have lots of pitching depth and a number of holes to address, so the Matt Garza rumors were inevitable. Here's the latest on the Rays righty:
- Garza is a fallback plan for the Rangers in case they can't sign Cliff Lee or trade for Zack Greinke, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Price reports that the Rays are motivated to move Garza.
- The Brewers have talked to the Rays about Garza, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter).
Brandon Webb Rumors: Tuesday
Things are heating up for free agent starter Brandon Webb. The latest:
- Webb's agent will meet with the Cubs again this afternoon, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.
- The Nationals will meet with Webb's agent Jonathan Maurer soon, MLBTR has learned.
- The Rangers met last night with Maurer, tweets Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse. The agent also spoke with the Cubs last night, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
Nationals, Rangers Interested In Jeff Francis
The Nationals and Rangers have checked in on Jeff Francis, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Previous reports have linked the lefty to the Rockies, Pirates, Mariners, Brewers, Astros and Mets. However, the Mets appear to be more serious about Chris Young than Francis.
A number of the clubs above have been linked to another pitcher who has dealt with shoulder injuries, Brandon Webb. Francis, 30 in January, posted a 5.00 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 104 1/3 innings for the Rockies in 2010.
Zack Greinke Rumors: Monday
Zack Greinke appears willing to waive his no-trade clause in any deal, but his list of potential suitors appeared to shrink when the Brewers acquired Shaun Marcum. Milwaukee tried to pry Greinke away from the Royals, but found that GM Dayton Moore was asking a lot for the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. We'll keep track of all the day's Greinke rumors right here:
- The Royals appear to be tiring of the Rangers' offers, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Discussions with Toronto appear to hinge on the Blue Jays' willingness to include Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider in a potential deal. Royals officials say a deal could come together in a hurry if the Blue Jays decide they're willing to part with those two players.
- The Reds have not talked to the Royals about a potential Greinke deal, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- The Braves are not pursuing Greinke and have not been pursuing him, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).
Brandon Webb Rumors: Monday
Given the guarantees required to sign Cliff Lee or Carl Pavano, Brandon Webb must appeal to many teams even after missing almost all of the last two seasons. The latest on the sinkerballer:
- The Cubs, Nationals, and Rangers remain in the mix for Webb, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The righty's surgeon issued a positive report for 2011, according to Crasnick (Twitter link). The Mets appear to think Webb is too risky, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
- The Pirates' pursuit of Webb appears to have gone cold, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kovacevic says the Bucs have not been in touch with him since November 22nd.