Minor Moves: Ka’aihue, Hinshaw, Luna, Pirates
We’ll keep track of the day’s minor moves here…
- The White Sox signed catcher Bryan Anderson and left-hander David Purcey to minor league deals, Eddy reports (on Twitter).
- The Diamondbacks signed Kila Ka'aihue, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old appeared in 39 games for the Athletics this past season, posting a .234/.295/.398 batting line.
- The Blue Jays announced that they signed outfielder Ricardo Nanita and left-hander Alex Hinshaw to minor league contracts. Nanita played for the Blue Jays' Triple-A team in 2012, hitting 12 home runs. Hinshaw appeared in 33 games for the Padres and Cubs in 2012, posting a 6.04 ERA. The team also confirmed its minor league contracts with infielder Jim Negrych and right-hander Neil Wagner.
- The Chunichi Dragons have agreed to sign utility player Hector Luna to a one-year, $450K deal that includes $200K in incentives, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com reports (on Twitter). Luna, 32, appeared in 28 games for the Phillies this past season, playing first base, third base and left field. In seven seasons at the MLB level, he has a .262/.314/.385 batting line.
- The Pirates announced that they’ve agreed to sign right-handers Brooks Brown and Erik Cordier to minor league contracts with invitations to Spring Training. The club also announced minor league deals with right-handers David Bromberg and Luis Sanz, and infielder Alex Valdez. Finally, the Pirates officially announced their minor league deal with former MLB outfielder Felix Pie.
Rosenthal On Royals, Uehara, D’Backs, Span, Catching
Here are the latest hot stove items from FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal….
- Teams in search of bullpen help have been looking at Royals right-handers Greg Holland and Aaron Crow, though Kansas City isn't likely to trade any of its Major League players unless they can move Jeff Francoeur.
- The Royals bolstered their pitching staff by re-signing Jeremy Guthrie and trading for Ervin Santana, but Rosenthal still feels the team needs a true ace.
- The Phillies are interested in free agent reliever Koji Uehara.
- The Diamondbacks could deal Jason Kubel instead of Justin Upton, which would be an easier move to make though Kubel would bring back a lesser return. A source tells Rosenthal that the Rangers are still interested in Upton but are waiting for the D'Backs to back down on their demands for Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar in return.
- Denard Span could be a good trade target for a club that doesn't want to pay for one of the expensive center fielders on the free market. With the Twins desperate for pitching, Rosenthal speculates that a team like the Braves (who need a center fielder and have pitching depth) could be a trade partner.
- The free agent catching market is stalled since the Red Sox and Blue Jays have catchers available for trade, plus the Yankees are waiting to address their pitching before making a decision on Russell Martin.
- Speaking of the Blue Jays' catching depth, Rosenthal thinks that Toronto is in no hurry to deal J.P. Arencibia, as a dependable catcher is needed if top prospect Travis D'Arnaud hasn't recovered from his season-ending knee injury.
- Reed Johnson is drawing interest from several teams, including the Braves, who acquired Johnson from the Cubs last July.
Diamondbacks Notes: Keppinger, Peralta, Fujikawa
Here's the latest out of Arizona…
- The D'Backs are interested in free agent infielder Jeff Keppinger, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Keppinger hit .325/.367/.439 in 418 plate appearances with the Rays in 2012 and has a career .864 OPS against left-handed pitching. Arizona would presumably use Keppinger at third base, though the veteran has played all over the infield in his career.
- In another post from Piecoro, he says the Diamondbacks would use Jhonny Peralta as a third baseman if they acquired him from the Tigers. Peralta primarily served as the Indians' third baseman in 2009 and 2010, though he hasn't played at the hot corner since and has a below-average (a -3.1 UZR/150) glove at the position.
- While the D'Backs were one of the teams who met with free agent closer Kyuji Fujikawa, the Snakes don't "appear to be as interested" in Fujikawa as they were before acquiring Heath Bell from the Marlins, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
Diamondbacks Interested In Hiroyuki Nakajima
7:24pm: While Nakajima recently toured the Diamondbacks' facilities in Arizona and the team is interested in him, there haven't yet been any negotiations between the two sides, a source tells MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
12:29am: Hiroyuki Nakajima is already in the United States and is currently engaged in talks with the Diamondbacks, according to a Nikkan Sports report (translated on Twitter by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker).
Nakajima, 30, enjoyed a strong 2012 season with the Seibu Lions in Japan when he batted .311/.382/.451 with 13 homers and seven stolen bases. Dating back to his age-24 season in 2007, the shortstop is a .310/.381/.474 batter that has averaged 20.5 homers per 162 games. Arizona general manager Kevin Towers is clearly in the market for a shortstop, as names like Elvis Andrus, Jurickson Profar and Andrelton Simmons have come up in trade talk regarding Justin Upton. Nakajima would present an alternative means of filling the shortstop vacancy that has been previously occupied by Stephen Drew.
Nakajima does not require a posting fee this season, as he did in 2011 when the Yankees submitted the winning bid. Obviously, the two sides were unable to reach a deal. Nakajima elected to return to the Lions on a one-year deal worth $3.64MM.
Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees Interested In Stephen Drew
Shortstop Stephen Drew is drawing interest from such clubs as the Tigers, Red Sox and Yankees, reports CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. Drew became a free agent after the A's declined their half of a $10MM mutual option in October, though Oakland is still interested in re-signing the Scott Boras client at a lower price.
Drew could start in Boston or at least provide veteran backup behind Jose Iglesias, while Heyman writes that the Yankees saw Drew as a "super sub" who could provide depth around the infield. New York didn't see Drew as a short-term fill-in for Derek Jeter at short since Brian Cashman is confident that Jeter will be recovered from ankle surgery by Opening Day.
The Tigers already have a shortstop in Jhonny Peralta, though ESPN's Jim Bowden reports (Twitter link) that the Tigers look to sign Drew and then deal Peralta to either the Red Sox or the Diamondbacks. We heard earlier today that Peralta was drawing interest from Arizona.
Peralta hit .239/.305/.384 batting line in 585 plate appearances for the Tigers last season and the Tigers picked up his $6MM club option for 2013 last month. Peralta's 2012 performance wasn't much better than Drew's .223/.309/.348 line in 327 PAs with Arizona and Oakland, though Drew was returning in July after being sidelined for almost a full year with a severe ankle injury.
Rockies, Diamondbacks Swap Reynolds, Wheeler
The Diamondbacks and Rockies announced that they've agreed to a trade that sends left-handed reliever Matt Reynolds to Arizona for infielder Ryan Wheeler.
Reynolds, 28, appeared in 71 games for the Rockies in 2012. He posted a 4.40 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 57 1.3 innings. He's not yet arbitration eligible. Wheeler, 24, made his MLB debut in 2012. He appeared in 50 games, posting a .239/.294/.339 batting line in 119 plate appearances. He also posted a .351/.388/.572 batting line in 399 plate appearances at Triple-A this past season.
Diamondbacks Interested In Jhonny Peralta
The Diamondbacks are interested in shortstop Jhonny Peralta, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). However, the Tigers won’t trade Peralta unless they can find a way to upgrade at shortstop.
Peralta will earn $6MM next year since the Tigers exercised his 2013 option following the World Series. The 30-year-old posted a .239/.305/.384 batting line in 585 plate appearances with Detroit this past year. Though he doesn’t have much range, he’s regarded as a steady defender. The Diamondbacks also appear to have some interest in trading for Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.
Arizona GM Kevin Towers already traded for one shortstop, acquiring Cliff Pennington from the Athletics last month. John McDonald and Willie Bloomquist add depth at the position off of the bench.
Quick Hits: Blue Jays, Cubs, Nishioka, Mariners
Four years ago today, the Cubs officially announced that they had signed Ryan Dempster to a four-year, $52MM contract. Dempster was worth 12.9 wins above replacement over the life of that contract, according to FanGraphs, who valued his production in those four years at $56.3MM. Now a free agent, Dempster will seek what could be the last major contract of his big league career, and interested suitors are hoping he can once again exceed his contract's value.
Here are tonight's links from around the league…
- Jose Bautista tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that prior to signing his five-year, $65MM extension, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos promised him that when the time was right, he'd add the pieces to make a big run. Bautista tells Davidi that he always believed in Anthopoulos, and now his faith has been rewarded: "We had a great club before this, but now we have an elite club."
- Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago tweets that the Cubs are not currently in talks to trade away any of their young players.
- Former Twins infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka has signed a two-year deal with the Hanshin Tigers, according to a Sponichi report. Nishioka's deal is worth 600 million yen. That translates to about $7.4MM, meaning he'll earn more money than he forfeited in asking for his release from Minnesota.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times looks at several Mariners issues in his latest blog post. Baker opines that Josh Hamilton has never been a realistic target for GM Jack Zduriencik and also explains why he feels Billy Butler is a realistic trade target despite the presence of Jesus Montero and John Jaso on the roster. Both Montero and Jaso saw significant time at DH in 2012.
- Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio examines five potential trading partners the Diamondbacks could talk to about Justin Upton (ESPN Insider required). Bowden looks at players that would interest Arizona GM Kevin Towers on the Rangers, Rays, Tigers, Indians and Braves.
Fujikawa Meets With Five MLB Clubs
Monday: According to Japanese media reports, Fujikawa met with the Angels, Dodgers and Orioles over the weekend (per Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times). DiGiovanna adds that Angels GM Jerry Dipoto wouldn't comment on contract negotiations, nor would he divulge whether or not he envisions Fujikawa as a setup man or closer.
Not surprisingly, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that Fujikawa is looking for a multiyear commitment wherever he signs (Twitter link).
Saturday: Right-hander Kyuji Fujikawa started meeting with MLB clubs and touring their facilities this past week, reports Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News. He's already visited the Diamondbacks and Cubs and is expected to meet with both the Dodgers and Angels as well. It's unclear if he'll meet with the Rangers on this trip.
Fujikawa, 32, has been the top closer in Japan for nearly a decade and is a true free agent, meaning he won't have to go through the posting process. The Red Sox have expressed some interest in the right-hander in addition to those five clubs above. Tim Dierkes ranked Fujikawa as the 34th best free agent available on his Top 50 Free Agents List, predicting he would sign with the Angels.
MLBTR's Steve Adams contributed to this post.
“A Very High Likelihood” Justin Upton Won’t Be Traded
There is a 90% chance Justin Upton, one of the most prized trade targets this offseason, will still be with Arizona when Spring Training opens, a Diamondbacks person tells Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. GM Kevin Towers, however, is still willing to listen to offers for the two-time All-Star.
"Kevin is Kevin. I think there is no one on the roster Kevin wouldn't have a discussion about, if asked,'' said Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick. "I think there's a very high likelihood Justin will be in our starting outfield when we start the new season."
Kendrick refused to quantify the likelihood of Upton returning, but lauded the former first overall draft choice for being "a hard worker, a good person with a good family." Kendrick also sees a "potential superstar" in Upton.
The Diamondbacks are looking for a young shortstop and pitching in any trade for Upton. The Rangers were thought to be front-runners, but have so far refused to part with either Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar and have been unsuccessful in involving a third team. Heyman writes there was talk the Rays have also approached the Diamondbacks, but they don't have a young big-league-ready shortstop to deal and couldn't as easily absorb the $38MM remaining on Upton's contract over the next three years.
Also complicating matters is Upton's no-trade clause. Sources tells Heyman the four-team list, which has changed after every season, now includes the Mariners and Blue Jays, although it is believed Upton could be open to a trade to a team on his no-trade list.