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Braves Targeting B.J. Upton

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B.J. Upton is the Braves' top free agent target, reports MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). The club had visions of signing both Upton and Torii Hunter this offseason, but the latter agreed to a two-year deal with the Tigers today.

Upton, 28, hit .246/.298/.454 with a career-high 28 homers in 633 plate appearances last season. He also stole 31 bases, his fifth straight season over 30. Upton would replace at least some of the speed and center field defense lost by departing free agent Michael Bourn, plus his right-handed bat would help balance Atlanta's lefty heavy level.

The Braves figure to lose Bourn this winter and Chipper Jones has retired, but Martin Prado's versatility would allow the club to pursue two outfielders rather than an outfielder and a third baseman. MLBTR's Tim Dierked ranked Upton as the fifth best free agent this offseason in his Top 50 Free Agents List, predicting he would sign with the Phillies.

Braves Close To Signing Gerald Laird

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The Braves are close to reaching an agreement with catcher Gerald Laird, reports MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). He's a CSE client.

Laird, 33, hit .282/.337/.374 with two homers in 191 plate appearances for the Tigers last season, his best offensive year since 2008. He's a career .244/.303/.359 hitter in the big leagues and has thrown out approximately 27% of attempted basestealers over the last three years.

Atlanta is looking for a new backup catcher behind Brian McCann after David Ross signed with the Red Sox. Laird did not make Tim Dierkes' Top 50 Free Agents List.

This post was originally published on November 15th.

Braves Interested In Cody Ross

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The Braves have interest in free agent outfielder Cody Ross, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. He has a good relationship with Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez from their time together with the Marlins.

The 31-year-old Ross posted a .267/.326/.481 line with 22 homers in 528 plate appearances for the Red Sox this season, and the Braves are targeting a right-handed hitting outfielder to balance their lineup. Ross is said to be seeking a three-year deal worth $25MM this winter, and so far he's received interest from the Phillies and Orioles.

MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Ross as the 22nd best free agent in his Top 50 Free Agents List, predicting he would re-sign with the Red Sox. Earlier today WEEI.com's Rob Bradford noted (on Twitter) that Torii Hunter's decision could impact Ross since the same clubs are interested in both players.

Braves Turned Down Simmons-For-Olt Trade

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It was reported over the weekend that the Rangers attempted to acquire Andrelton Simmons from the Braves in order to flip him to the Diamondbacks as part of a package for Justin Upton. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports takes the story one step further, adding that the Rangers are so interested in Upton that they were willing to flip top prospect Mike Olt for Simmons to facilitate the trade. Knobler reports that the D-backs want Simmons, but the Braves will keep him rather than making a run at Upton to fill their own corner outfield needs (Twitter links).

The attachment to Simmons isn't a surprise. He batted .289/.335/.416 with three homers in 49 games this season, but was far more impressive with his glove. Simmons posted an astounding 31.6 UZR/150, and John Dewan's Fielding Bible pegged him at +19 runs despite totaling only 426 innings.

Arizona would like a young shortstop in a trade for Upton, but the Rangers are reluctant trade either Elvis Andrus or top prospect Jurickson Profar. The 24-year-old Olt ranked 43rd on Baseball America's Top 100 prosspect list prior to 2012, but emerged as one of the game's top prospects with a monstrous season at Double-A. He batted .288/.398/.579 with 28 home runs and made his Major League debut, appearing in 16 games for the Rangers down the stretch.

Hunter Likely To Leave Angels; 13 Teams Interested

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As many as 13-14 teams have checked in on Torii Hunter, and the 37-year-old is likely to play for a new team in 2013, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports. The Tigers, Rangers and Braves are being the most aggressive, according to Miller's sources.

Miller reports that back on Sept. 17, the Angels made Hunter a token one-year offer worth $5MM. That number didn't sit well with Hunter:

"They never offered me anything worth considering," Hunter says. "It actually was very disrespectful, what was offered."

Prior to the Angels' modest offer, Hunter was open to re-signing with the team for less, according to Miller, but that bridge appears to have been burned. Hunter says that he isn't looking to break the bank, and he's more concerned with winning a World Series ring for a "fair" price. Whether that pursuit of a championship comes in the American League or National League doesn't seem to matter to Hunter:

"I'm open," Hunter said. "If the National League has a team that's going to win, I'm all for it."

Hunter has already spoken with his close friend Jason Heyward about the Braves, who are a clear fit for the former Gold Glover. As Miller notes, Hunter grew up in Arkansas watching the Braves on a regular basis. Earlier today, it was reported that the Braves were among the teams that were very interested in Hunter. The Tigers, Rangers and Yankees are also mentioned in that report, and the Red Sox have been linked to Hunter as well. The Dodgers, however, appear to be out of the discussion.

Tigers, Rangers Interested In Torii Hunter

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1:08pm: The Braves have interest in Hunter, but it appears he'll re-sign with an American League team, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (on Twitter). The Tigers are the frontrunners for Hunter, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter).

12:52pm: The timeframe for a decision is about two weeks, Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports. The Tigers have been most aggressive in their pursuit of Hunter and seem most likely to offer a two-year contract. The Yankees have also shown serious interest.

11:19am: The Tigers and Rangers are interested in free agent outfielder Torii Hunter, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports. Hunter said on MLB Network this morning that he expects to sign quickly.

The Tigers are “very interested” in Hunter, Knobler writes. They see him as a near-perfect fit for their team, on and off of the field. Detroit has prioritized corner outfield help this winter. The Rangers also have interest in Hunter, who lives in Texas, relatively close to Rangers Ballpark.

The market for Hunter seems strong, with the Red Sox, Dodgers and Yankees also interested. Knobler suggests the Braves and Phillies are also possible fits. The Angels did not make Hunter a qualifying offer, which means he’s not linked to draft pick compensation. Tim Dierkes ranked Hunter 20th among the top 50 free agents available.

NL East Notes: Phillies, Braves, Nationals, Burnett

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Rival executives and agents say that Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro is being very aggressive in pursuit of a center fielder and plans to work quickly, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd). Amaro knows Michael Bourn well, but agent Scott Boras likes to wait and let the market percolate.  The Phillies may make B.J. Upton their plan B if they can't land Bourn.  The club has been doing a lot of background work on Upton, asking questions about his personality and whether he would be a good fit in that market.  Here's more out of the NL East..

  • The Braves sensed that David Ross might land a lucrative two-year deal elsewhere and have been checking out other backup catchers on the open market in recent weeks, tweets Mark Bowman of MLB.com.  The Red Sox came to terms on a two-year, $6.2MM deal with Ross earlier today.
  • Nationals reliever Sean Burnett has a case for a three-year deal in the mold of Scott Downs, but some at the GM meetings have wondered aloud if he may be in line for a four-year pact, tweets Ben Nicholson-Smith.
  • Nationals bench coach Randy Knorr is widely viewed as the top candidate to take over for manager Davey Johnson after 2013, but Knorr believes that Johnson could have a change of heart and choose to manage beyond next season, writes Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.  Yesterday, Johnson and the Nats agreed to a one-year deal that will turn the skipper into a consultant in 2014.

Nightengale On Hunter, Dodgers, Greinke, Simmons

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Here's the latest from Bob Nightengale of USA Today…

  • The Dodgers are "aggressively pursuing" Torii Hunter according to a team executive. GM Ned Colletti wouldn't confirm the team's interest, but he did say that he did not have any trade talks about Andre Ethier during the GM Meetings this week.
  • The Dodgers will have meetings early next week to formulate a plan that involves signing Hunter and acquiring a frontline starter. They've already spoken to representatives for Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez, but are out on Ryan Dempster.
  • The Rangers tried to acquire Andrelton Simmons from the Braves so they could flip him to the Diamondbacks in a deal for Justin Upton. Arizona wants a young shortstop, but Texas is loath to give up Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar. Atlanta wouldn't budge, however.

Six Teams Interested In Nick Swisher

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FRIDAY: In addition to the Rangers and Mariners, the Orioles, Phillies, Giants, Braves, and Nationals all have some level of interest in Swisher, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Several clubs are willing to offer three years, and Heyman estimates an annual salary in the $11-13MM range.

THURSDAY: The Rangers, Mariners and three other teams have "serious interest" in free agent Nick Swisher, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Unsurprisingly, Swisher plans to reject the Yankees' qualifying offer and look for a long-term contract on the open market.

Swisher would have earned $13.3MM for 2013 had he accepted the Yankees' one-year qualifying offer, and in rejecting the deal, New York can now earn a compensatory draft pick if Swisher signs elsewhere. The Yankees extended qualifying offers to three of their free agents: Swisher, Rafael Soriano (who will decline) and Hiroki Kuroda.

Swisher has averaged 27 homers and an .836 OPS over the last seven seasons, thus making him in high demand amongst teams looking for power and help at first base or right field. Swisher was reportedly looking for a Jayson Werth-esque seven-year/$126MM contract, a number that might be hard to find unless it were to come from a team that may need to overpay to attract a top free agent hitter. The Mariners could be such a team, though they hope moving in the fences at Safeco Field will help.

The Rangers would likely use Swisher primarily at first base, though they could also have a hole in left field should Josh Hamilton leave in free agency. (ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Red Sox also value Swisher for his versatility.) Swisher's three unknown suitors probably don't include the Yankees, as there is reportedly little chance of Swisher returning to New York.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Giants, Affeldt, Hart, Tigers, Soriano

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The 4pm CST deadline for players to accept qualifying offers has come and gone and none of the eight players in play opted to return to their respective clubs for a $13.3MM salary in 2013.  That means that Nick Swisher, Hiroki Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, B.J. Upton, Adam LaRoche, Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton, and Kyle Lohse will net their teams a compensatory pick if they sign elsewhere.  Here's the latest from around baseball..

  • The Giants are confident that they will be re-signing Jeremy Affeldt and the club believes that they will work out a three-year deal, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  GM Brian Sabean indicated yesterday that he is optimistic about being about to keep Affeldt, Angel Pagan, and Marco Scutaro.
  • Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter) that he has not approached Corey Hart's agent about an extension and doesn't have immediate plans to do so.  A report earlier today suggested that the Brewers and Hart were discussing a deal to keep him beyond 2013.  The first baseman/right fielder is set to earn $10MM next season.
  • The Tigers aren't interested in Soriano and plan to stay in-house to find their closer, tweets Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com.  Right-hander Bruce Rondon, 21, will get a chance at the job.  
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