Diamondbacks, Phillies Not Discussing Upton, Lee
4:08pm: Putting the nail in the coffin on this one…Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. labeled the Upton-Lee rumor false, tweets Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
3:56pm: Sources tell both Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the D-Backs and Phillies aren't actively discussing an Upton/Lee deal (Twitter links). The report is "off base," a D-Backs source tells Piecoro.
3:49pm: The Diamondbacks and Philles are discussing a trade that would send Justin Upton to Philadelphia and Cliff Lee to Arizona, according to Pedro Gomez of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The proposed deal would also include cash heading to the D-Backs, says Gomez.
Due $25MM in each of the next three seasons, along with a $12.5MM buyout on a $27.5MM vesting option for 2016, Lee is on the books for significantly more money than Upton, so there would need to be more parts involved to make it worthwhile for Arizona. According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), the D-Backs all exploring all sorts of three- or four-way trades in an effort to get a shortstop, meaning a deal built around Upton and Lee could be "just the start."
Mariners Meet With Boras, Inquired On Kubel
The Mariners are meeting with agent Scott Boras today in Nashville, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (via Twitter). While it's not clear exactly which player or players the two sides are discussing, Knobler notes, as we heard earlier today, that the M's have some interest in Michael Bourn.
Although Seattle seems to be considering Bourn, the team's focus this offseason has primarily been on corner outfielders. As such, it's not a huge surprise that Knobler also reports (via Twitter) that the Mariners have spoken to the Diamondbacks about Jason Kubel. The D-Backs are said to be listening to offers on Kubel, though it's not known how strong the Mariners' interest is.
Diamondbacks Sign Eric Hinske
2:16pm: Hinske's deal with Arizona will be worth a little more than $1MM, sources tell Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Jon Heyman of CBS Sports believes the deal to be worth $1.075MM.
12:50pm: The Diamondbacks signed first baseman/outfielder Eric Hinske to a one-year contract, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The 35-year-old struggled with the Braves this year, posting a .197/.272/.311 line in 147 plate appearances. He's represented by MVP Sports Group.
Hinske, the 2002 AL Rookie of the Year winner, has served as a solid bench bat at times and owns a .236/.315/.407 line over the last three seasons, facing mostly right-handed pitching.
A’s Discussing Escobar With Marlins
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the A's are indeed engaged in ongoing discussions with the Marlins regarding Yunel Escobar, as was previously speculated. Slusser's piece contains plenty of A's material, so here's the latest on the reigning AL West Champs…
- Not surprisingly the Escobar discusssions aren't believed to be centered around anyone on the Athletics' Major League roster.
- Slusser reports that the A's have heavy competition for Brandon McCarthy, as the Diamondbacks, Cubs, Royals, Red Sox, White Sox and Twins have already met with the right-hander, and the Angels and Rangers are expected to join the fray.
- McCarthy would consider a one-year deal to prove that he has successfully recovered from his frightening head injury and brain surgery late in the 2012 season.
- Hiroyuki Nakajima is more concerned with playing time than salary, according to Slusser, which could increase Oakland's appeal to the Japanese shortstop.
R.A. Dickey Rumors: Monday
A reigning Cy Young winner is on the trade block, and we've got all of today's updates on R.A. Dickey right here, with the newest items added to the top throughout the day:
- The Diamondbacks met with the Mets on Dickey, but talks didn't get far, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Martino hears the Mets' asking price is very high. He also notes that there's not much happening between the Mets and Blue Jays.
Earlier updates:
- The Dodgers have talked to the Mets about Dickey, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Gurnick notes that Dickey could be a fallback for Zack Greinke, or maybe the team will just sign both to have three Cy Young winners on the staff. The question is whether the Dodgers have the right players to pull off a deal.
- Talks for Dickey between the Mets and Red Sox were "very preliminary," a Major League source tells WEEI's Alex Speier, and a deal is extremely unlikely.
- There has been strong interest in Dickey today, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, but he's heard the Mets did not ask the Red Sox for specific players.
- The Mets met with eight teams today about Dickey, according to Adam Rubin and Joe McDonald of ESPN. The Red Sox were one of those teams, and the Mets wanted Xander Bogaerts andJackie Bradley Jr. in return. We heard earlier that the Sox didn't have interest in Dickey, so perhaps the Mets' exorbitant asking price is playing a part in that lack of interest.
- GM Sandy Alderson acknowledged that he's had "preliminary talks" with multiple teams about Dickey and other players, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. According to Alderson, there have been more conversations about Dickey than Niese, though that could change (Twitter link).
- Fair or not, Dickey's age and repertoire is making teams reluctant to give up significant talent for him, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Of course, as Martino adds in a second tweet, it just takes one club to step up and change that. Still, for now, Jonathon Niese is viewed as the more appealing Mets arm, according to Martino.
- Although the Mets are "more than willing" to discuss Dickey, the Red Sox haven't shown any interest, says Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com, noting that the Mets could do better than Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Twitterlinks).
- The Mets have gotten "serious" about trading ace knuckleballer Dickey as soon as this week, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark after hearing from a source. Stark says the Rangers and Royals are seen as the most logical fits.
- Earlier today, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweeted that he believes the Mets "genuinely don't know right now if they'll sign or trade" the NL Cy Young winner. The 38-year-old can become a free agent after the 2013 season.
Justin Upton Rumors: Monday
We'll round up today's rumors on Justin Upton, one of the winter's most intriguing trade candidates, right here, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day…
- The Mariners and Diamondbacks met tonight, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Earlier updates:
- The Diamondbacks are said to be one of the most aggressive teams at the Winter Meetings so far, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney, who says rival teams believe Arizona will move Upton.
- The Rangers haven't given up on Upton, though the D-Backs continue to insist Elvis Andrus is included in any deal, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Texas would prefer to build a package around players like Mike Olt and/or Derek Holland rather than giving up Andrus or Jurickson Profar, according to Rosenthal.
- Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com tweets that the Rangers and D-Backs are still talking about Upton, but that there's "nothing there" at the moment.
D’Backs Notes: Starting Pitching, Backup Catcher
Whatever is going on with Diamondbacks right fielder Justin Upton today at the Winter Meetings, it's being kept fairly under-wraps. You can check out our Upton post here, but let's get to other D'Backs chatter from the day.
- The Diamondbacks remain interested in free agent starter Brandon McCarthy, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. GM Kevin Towers said the team seeks "at least a solid number two" starter. He elaborated, "To me, it seems like some of the second-tier guys are kind of starting to be viewed as first-tier-type guys and being paid like first-tier guys, and I don't think we're willing to go there. That's why we're not talking to a lot of free agents in the way of pitching." (MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reporting).
- Towers seeks a right-handed-hitting backup catcher known more for defense, though the line of communication is open with Henry Blanco, writes Piecoro.
- Upton wasn't the player most inquired about during Towers' eight or nine meetings with other teams today, writes Gilbert.
Minor Moves: Maier, Sutton, Lewis, Ka’aihue, Reed
We'll track the day's minor league signings right here:
- The Red Sox announced five minor league signings, according to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal: Mitch Maier, Terry Doyle, Drew Sutton, Oscar Villarreal, and Jose De La Torre.
- The Diamondbacks have signed a handful of players to minor league contracts, adding left-handed pitchers Rommie Lewis and Eddie Bonine along with Kila Ka'aihue, Humberto Cota, and Brad Snyder, tweets Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. All five guys have Major League experience at some point in their careers.
- Jeremy Reed also received a minor league contract and an invite to spring training from the Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (via Twitter).
D-Backs Sell Bergesen To Chunichi Dragons
The Diamondbacks have sold Brad Bergesen to Japan's Chunichi Dragons, the team announced today in a press release. It was previously reported that the D-Backs released Bergesen to allow him to pursue the opportunity overseas.
Bergesen, 27, pitched 29 2/3 innings for the Diamondbacks this past season, posting a 3.64 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. He would have been arbitration eligible for the second time, but had been a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $1MM.
Morning Rumors: Otani, Braves, Wang, Indians
The most fun week of baseball's offseason is here, as 2012's Winter Meetings get underway in Nashville. With a ton of activity expected over the next few days, we don't want to let anything fall through the cracks, so let's round up a few Monday morning updates from around MLB:
- 18-year-old Japanese pitcher Shohei Otani, who announced in October that he intended to sign with an MLB team, may now be leaning toward staying in Japan, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), who cites reports out of Japan. A decision from Otani is expected this week, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
- If the Braves make a move this week, it's more likely to be a trade than a signing, says Mark Bowman of MLB.com, who tweets that Atlanta has "minimal interest" in the outfielders on the free agent market. The team's interest in free agents could increase if asking prices drop, but that's not likely to happen this early in the offseason, tweets Bowman. David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has more details on the Braves' search for a left fielder.
- The Rays' agreement with James Loney makes them an unlikely fit for Eric Hosmer or Billy Butler now, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. If the Royals were to pursue a Rays pitcher via trade, Kansas City may have to offer Wil Myers, Dutton adds.
- Given the weak third base market, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports thinks the Padres may be motivated to sell high on Chase Headley and send him to the Yankees (Twitter link).
- Coming off an injury-shortened 2012 season, Chien-Ming Wang may not sign with an MLB team until midseason, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com (Twitter link).
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer thinks the Reds will make a run at Dexter Fowler, but doesn't expect the team to give up Homer Bailey to make it happen.
- The Dodgers may have a tricky time targeting an outfielder, since they need a starting-caliber player but can't promise a starting job, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.
- If the Indians decide to go all-in on their rebuild, they could extract young pitching talent from a team like the Mariners or Diamondbacks, says ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider link). Cleveland's asking price for Asdrubal Cabrera is "steep in terms of young pitchers," according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Jim Bowden has identified a trade candidate for all 30 MLB teams, along with potential suitors for each player.
- After a quiet Winter Meetings in 2011, the Red Sox figure to be more active this year, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal, as he explores a few of the team's potential targets.