Astros Rumors: Hawkins, Tejada
Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros are intent on bringing LaTroy Hawkins back. However, the D'Backs, Rays and Orioles are also interested in the veteran righty. The Astros are probably not willing to offer Hawkins a multi-year deal, Wade said.
It seems unlikely that Miguel Tejada will return to Houston. GM Ed Wade said the shortstop's agent is hoping for a longer deal than the Astros are willing to offer.
“I'm not optimistic we'll be able to get something done with Miggy,” Wade said.
Tony La Russa said yesterday that the Cardinals have some interest in Tejada.
Twitter Rumors: Mets, Granderson, Matsui
More links from Twitter. Be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter for all your updates.
- Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is not interested in Aroldis Chapman.
- It doesn't look like the Reds will be spending big on a shortstop like Orlando Cabrera or Miguel Tejada, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The Nationals see John Smoltz as a starter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Ken Rosenthal says Smoltz could return to St. Louis.
- John Lackey, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Jon Garland and Doug Davis all have the Mets' attention, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The D'Backs will look to add a position player and solidify their bullpen now, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
- The Red Sox discussed a Curtis Granderson trade with the Tigers, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. Apparently, the Tigers wanted Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury (Michael Silverman reporting).
- The Dodgers were interested in Jackson, but didn't want to meet the Tigers' asking price, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
- The Dodgers like Paul Maholm, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins and Robb Quinlan may be a fit for one another. The Rockies are interested, too.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Marc Carig of the Star Ledger that he only has interest in Hideki Matsui as a DH.
- Bobby Seay, Dusty Ryan and Jeff Larish are all available in trades, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Odds & Ends: Mora, Figgins, Tejada, Rangers
Links for Day 2 of the Winter Meetings, which are taking place in Indianapolis…
- Add Robb Quinlan to the list of utility men on the Rockies' radar, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports names Melvin Mora as another target. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer tweets of interest from the Twins in Quinlan.
- The Mariners' deal for Chone Figgins is official, tweets the Brock & Salk show. The team press release notes it's a four-year deal with an option for 2014.
- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa acknowledged interest in Miguel Tejada, talking to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By the way, Astros GM Ed Wade is certain he won't re-sign Tejada, tweets Alyson Footer. Tejada apparently wants multiple years.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers are considering free agent catchers such as Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Yorvit Torrealba, and Jose Molina.
- WEEI's Alex Speier passes along Scott Boras' comments from an XM Radio appearance. Boras discussed Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre.
- The Brewers are discussing relievers Kevin Gregg and Mike Gonzalez at least internally, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The Crew recently lost reliever Mark DiFelice for the 2010 season. Gonzalez would cost good money and the Brewers' second-round pick (currently #50).
- Yahoo's Kevin Kaduk asks whether Twitter is helping or hurting the Winter Meetings. My opinion: hurting. The information crush was tolerable when reporters all got blogs a few years back, but now it's excessive. Of course, we're not helping.
- Jamey Carroll would love to play for the Reds but hasn't received an offer yet, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
- The D'Backs offered Chris Snyder to the Rangers for C.J. Wilson and were turned down, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Wilson tweets that he's "borderline offended" by Arizona's offer.
- The Pirates have had further talks with free agent hurler Justin Duchscherer, says Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but don't expect him to sign soon. We learned yesterday that the Rockies have cooled on Duchscherer. Kovacevic also reports that despite scouting Aroldis Chapman, the Pirates are not a player for him. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. indicates that Chapman will be showcased in Houston later this month.
- The Rays and White Sox discussed a Carlos Quentin–Carl Crawford trade, says Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Manager Ozzie Guillen implies that nothing is cooking on that front though. The two clubs also discussed closer Bobby Jenks, but the Rays did not like the asking price.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins admitted to interest in Hideki Matsui, reports Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Keep in mind, though that the Japanese press is apparently grilling every GM on Matsui. Reagins also said he hasn't ruled out re-signing Vladimir Guerrero.
- Carl Pavano explained his decision to accept arbitration from the Twins, in an email to Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune suggests retaining Pavano makes Glen Perkins expendable.
- The Rangers are not interested in trading for Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
Rangers Discussing Millwood Trades
3:10pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan believes the Orioles have cooled on Millwood. He says the Rangers were interested in Chris Tillman (which is crazy) while the O's offered David Hernandez and Brandon Erbe (Erbe alone seems fair).
9:00am: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says no deal is imminent and the Rangers are in serious talks with multiple teams about Millwood. As you know, the Rangers allowed Millwood to record "The $12 Million Out" last September, letting his $12MM option vest for 2010. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic guesses that the D'Backs could be in the mix for Millwood if talks for Edwin Jackson fail, and Morosi agrees.
6:56am: The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck reports that while it may have started as speculation, the rumors of Kevin Millwood going to Baltimore are starting to become more of a reality.
Schmuck reports that the Orioles are getting closer to acquiring Millwood for one of their second-tier pitching prospects. The Rangers are likely to eat some of Millwood's contract no matter what, I assume, but Schmuck writes that the number is dependent on which prospect the Orioles surrender.
Schmuck also adds that the Orioles have "at least a passing interest" in Joel Pineiro. Pineiro's agent Adam Katz tells MASN's Roch Kubatko that Baltimore's interest in Pineiro and Rich Harden has just been "preliminary tire-kicking," however.
Granderson To Yanks, Edwin Jackson To D’Backs, Scherzer To Tigers
WEDNESDAY, 2:35pm: This deal is official, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
TUESDAY, 1:24pm: As chronicled here, a three-team blockbuster trade has been agreed upon between the Yankees, Diamondbacks, and Tigers. The players:
- The Yankees receive center fielder Curtis Granderson, who turns 29 in March. Granderson is owed $5.5MM in 2010, $8.25MM in '11, and $10MM in '12, with a $13MM club option/$2MM buyout for '13. That's $25.75MM guaranteed over the next three years. Melky Cabrera could now be expendable for the Yankees, and the Cubs are one possible suitor.
- The Diamondbacks receive a pair of starting pitchers: Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Jackson, 26, is under team control for '10 and '11 and is owed an arbitration raise on this year's $2.2MM salary. Kennedy, 25 this month, missed most of the '09 season due to surgery to remove an aneurysm near his shoulder. As far as I can tell he is under team control for another six seasons. This is the second year in a row Jackson has been traded at the Winter Meetings.
- The Tigers receive four players: starter Max Scherzer, relievers Daniel Schlereth and Phil Coke, and center fielder Austin Jackson. The Tigers get five years of Scherzer, six of Schlereth, five of Coke, and six of Jackson, potentially 22 years of control in total. Scherzer, 25, and Jackson, 23 in February, are probably considered the prizes of the haul.
Agreement Reached In Yanks, Tigers, D’Backs Blockbuster
12:48pm: Heyman tweets that an agreement has been reached, with only medicals pending. We'll do a fresh post once this trade is official. To reiterate: the Yankees get Curtis Granderson, the D'Backs get Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, and the Tigers get Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Austin Jackson, and Phil Coke.
Sherman notes that the Yankees managed to pull off the Granderson acquisition without giving up Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, or Mike Dunn.
12:35pm: Olney now says this deal is close. Sherman says medical records are being exchanged on Granderson. In another tweet Sherman says there's no deadline on the deal, but one source says it's "on the goal line." He adds that removing Dunn from the deal was key for the Yanks.
Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says the deal is "very close," and would be Austin Jackson, Coke, Scherzer, and Schlereth to the Tigers, Edwin Jackson and Kennedy to the D'Backs, and Granderson to the Yankees.
12:19pm: Rosenthal says the revised deal has the Tigers getting two players from the Yanks rather than three, with Coke or Dunn out. AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets that the D'Backs and Tigers are awaiting signoff from the Yankees, and expect an answer within 40 minutes.
11:51am: Morosi sees progress being made, while MLB.com's Steve Gilbert thinks this thing is close; the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro agrees.
11:24am: More from Olney – the D'Backs are aiming to get Edwin Jackson and Kennedy in the deal. Olney speaks of "growing confidence on at least two of the sides" involved, and his sources have the odds of a deal in the 20-30% range. One Heyman source said 50%.
11:15am: Rosenthal and Morosi note that the Yankees and Tigers are open to making a Granderson deal and leaving the D'Backs out of the discussion. Still, the three-team talks are ongoing and fluid, with the Tigers requiring a "high-ceiling, close-to-the-majors center fielder" as part of the Granderson package. Austin Jackson could be that player.
ESPN's Buster Olney says it's the Tigers that re-ignited the three-way talks, and they've lowered their asking price.
10:33am: Heyman tweets that this deal is "back with a chance." Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News agrees, noting that the Tigers "may be caving" on the price for Granderson. He says the Yanks would likely downgrade one of the pitchers, most likely Dunn. Wouldn't be the Winter Meetings without three-team trade scenarios and the constant back-and-forth.
10:30am: Just to add a little intrigue, ESPN's Buster Olney says "one idea raised" was the Yankees getting both Granderson and Jackson. Regardless, two of the teams involved backed out of this three-team mess.
8:29am: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that this one "looks very unlikely." In his scenario Heyman had Daniel Schlereth, Scherzer, and more going to Detroit. He adds that the Yankees are saying no to the deal, which would've cost them the four prospects named below. Similarly, Morosi now finds the chances of this one to be "not good" because the Yankees balked at the price.
7:35am: Buster Olney adds that the talks progressed to the point where only one team liked the deal; he's not sure whether talks can resume or not.
TUESDAY, 7:00am: Morosi tweets that the deal is still a possibility as of this morning, according to one source.
MONDAY, 11:23pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Tigers were never satisfied with the blockbuster talks.
10:05pm: The D'Backs pushed for a blockbuster three-way deal with the Yankees and Tigers today, only to see one of those two teams veto it, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, the teams are discussing the following scenario.
The deal would send Curtis Granderson to the Yanks, along with a prospect or two from the D'Backs. Arizona would obtain Edwin Jackson from the Tigers and Ian Kennedy from the Yankees. The Tigers would obtain Max Scherzer from the D'Backs and Austin Jackson, Phil Coke and Michael Dunn from the Yanks.
Talks are apparently at an "impasse" now, though the D'Backs continue to push for a trade.
Multiple Teams In On Putz
J.J. Putz is drawing interest from several clubs, according to Jon Paul Morosi. The Cubs, White Sox, D'Backs, Rangers, Nationals, and Tigers have all shown varying levels of interest.
After being acquired by the Mets in a big three-team trade at last year's meetings, Putz was a disappointment in New York, posting a 5.22 ERA before going down for the season on June 4. The former All-Star recently held a throwing session for scouts in Arizona following bone spur removal surgery on his throwing elbow this season.
Edwin Jackson Rumors: Monday
9:43pm: D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes told Piecoro that team execs are heavily involved in trade talks and currently "talking about a lot of guys." He didn't mention Jackson specifically, but you have to think Byrnes would have squashed this rumor if the D'Backs and Tigers weren't talking about a possible Jackson deal.
8:27pm: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic thinks the D'Backs are making a push for Jackson, but doubts they'd include Max Scherzer in a deal. As Piecoro points out, Scherzer's under team control for three more years than Jackson, who can become a free agent after 2011. Those three extra years add lots of value.
8:03pm: MLB.com's Steve Gilbert wonders whether the Tigers and D'Backs could complete a deal without a third team. Do you see a potential fit?
6:26pm: The Tigers approached the Rockies about Jackson, but Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the asking price was too high for Colorado.
3:58pm: Rosenthal and Morosi say talks for Jackson have been more serious with the D'Backs than the Mariners, and the Angels are in on both Jackson and Granderson. The Red Sox are not in on Jackson, tweets Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic says the D'Backs are not close to getting Jackson.
3:27pm: Price is back with something a little more concrete: he says the Tigers are sorting through offers from 12 teams for Jackson.
2:26pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports agree with Nightengale – the Tigers are close to trading Jackson. They say the Brewers, Mets, and Dodgers "are not on Jackson."
2:09pm: Ken Davidoff of Newsday tweets that a Mets official denied a Jackson trade.
1:54pm: Cryptic tweet from Ed Price of AOL FanHouse: "Rumor that Mets acquire Edwin Jackson." Price then updated that the rumor was "heard in the lobby" but not confirmed.
12:57pm: USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that the Tigers are close to trading Jackson, "perhaps as early as today." No word on the potential destination, but we'll keep you apprised in this post. What's more, Nightengale says the Tigers hope to trade Curtis Granderson this week.
The Tigers acquired Jackson from the Rays during the Winter Meetings last year, on December 10th.
Mets Pursuing Adam Kennedy
5:41pm: Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic goes further, saying the D'Backs do not have interest in Kennedy.
2:35pm: The D'Backs are "not in hot pursuit of Kennedy at the moment," says MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
1:34pm: The Mets and Diamondbacks are showing the most interest in free agent infielder Adam Kennedy, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The two clubs view Kennedy as a potential starter at second base. The Mets would of course have to unload Luis Castillo to make room. Three other teams like Kennedy for a super-utility role, says Rosenthal's source (the Red Sox have been mentioned previously).
Kennedy, 34 in January, hit .289/.348/.410 in 586 plate appearances for the A's while playing second and third base this year. He was released in February by the Cardinals with $4MM remaining on his contract. The Rays signed him to a minor league deal and shipped him to Oakland in May.
Odds & Ends: Melky, Green, Branyan, Lowe
It's officially Winter Meetings time! New thread for links as the folks in Indianapolis begin to wake up and get going:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets an interesting situation: the Cubs and Yankees both like Mike Cameron, while the Cubs like the Yanks' Melky Cabrera. The Cubs will need to clear payroll space before they can try for Cameron though. Also muddying the picture: both clubs may have interest in Curtis Granderson.
- ESPN's Buster Olney is hearing that the starting pitching market is "intensifying."
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times has all kinds of amusing Winter Meetings memories from years past, and he explains why the Meetings were cancelled for five years in the nineties.
- David Lennon of Newsday says Mets COO Jeff Wilpon is not scheduled to come to Indianapolis this week, suggesting the team won't be signing major free agents at the Meetings.
- The Dodgers met with Nick Green's agent, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown. Green, 31, hit .236/.303/.366 in 309 plate appearances for the Red Sox this year while playing all around the infield (mainly shortstop).
- The Mariners have begun preliminary negotiations with Russell Branyan, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Branyan already rejected an offer from the Mariners in November. The Mets appear to be among Branyan's other suitors.
- Jon Heyman reports, via Twitter, that Adrian Beltre is "not likely" to accept Seattle arbitration offer. They'll still likely try to retain him, however. It might be difficult to keep Branyan, Beltre, and Jose Lopez, with Ken Griffey Jr. already signed.
- In case you were wondering, Morosi tweets that nothing is cooking with the Braves and Diamondbacks for Derek Lowe. Nor are the D'Backs in on Bronson Arroyo.
- Dan Uggla doesn't like the uncertainty surrounding what uniform he'll be wearing in five months. The Marlins slugger says he still sees himself as a second baseman, though many teams would like to move the 30-home run machine to third base. Matt Lindstrom is in a similar spot.
- Andy MacPhail told Steve Melewski that free agents are beginning to look at Baltimore in a different light, thanks to the great reviews their farm system is getting in the national media. That said, Melewski still feels that if the O's add a big name this offseason, it'll be through a trade.
- Alex Speier takes a look at what pieces the Red Sox could potentially use as trade bait.
- Joel Sherman explains why Andy Pettitte is so important to the Yankees, why personal relationships matter among GMs, and the Mets struggles in finding a taker for Luis Castillo.
- Mark Feinsand gives Yankee fans five situations to watch this week, including Pettitte, Roy Halladay, Johnny Damon, the Tigers, and Hideki Matsui.