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Free Agent Rumors: Dempster, Ichiro, Jackson, Tejada

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Approximately half of the free agents on MLBTR’s top 50 list remain unsigned, which means there will be lots of action in the next few weeks. Here are the latest free agent updates from around MLB…

  • The Brewers, Red Sox and Royals are the "three main teams" looking at Ryan Dempster, reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).  This would seem to eliminate the Cubs, who we recently heard weren't negotiating with Dempster.
  • The Yankees are still talking to Ichiro Suzuki as they continue waiting to hear from Kevin Youkilis, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Youkilis is weighing multiple offers and the Indians are also bidding for his services.
  • The Royals and other teams seem “very cool” to Edwin Jackson, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter). In other words they aren't overly eager to spend aggressively on him.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren said he has interest in certain outfielders as one-year stopgaps, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports (on Twitter). The Braves need another outfielder, even after signing B.J. Upton.
  • The Diamondbacks are very interested in Miguel Tejada, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com reports (on Twitter, in Spanish). The team offered Tejada a minor league deal, but he’d like a guaranteed contract.
  • The Marlins are only interested in Carl Pavano if he’ll accept a low base salary of $3MM or so plus incentives, Phil Mackey of ESPN 1500 reports (on Twitter). Pavano’s agent met with the Twins yesterday,  Mackey adds.

Four Teams Interested In Dee Gordon

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FRIDAY: The Braves and Phillies also asked about Gordon, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports (Twitter links). It appears that every team except the Dodgers would try Gordon as an outfielder. However, the Dodgers told clubs that they aren't open to moving him now.

WEDNESDAY: The Indians are discussing Gordon with the Dodgers, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, eyeing him as a potential replacement if they trade shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.

TUESDAY: The Dodgers are fielding tons of inquiries on shortstop Dee Gordon, tweets Scott Miller of CBS Sports, though they're not looking to deal him.  The Mariners are among the teams hitting the Dodgers hard on Gordon, tweets Miller.

Gordon, 25 in April, hit .228/.280/.281 in 330 plate appearances this year.  He missed significant time due to thumb surgery.  Prior to the 2011 season, Baseball America ranked Gordon the 26th best prospect in baseball, citing the potential for four plus tools.

Braves To Sign Reed Johnson

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FRIDAY: Johnson obtains a $1.75MM guarantee plus $150K in incentives, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter).  The deal also includes a club option for 2014 with a $1.6MM salary and a $150K buyout.  Johnson will earn a base salary of $1.6MM in 2013.

THURSDAY: The Braves agreed to a one-year deal with outfielder Reed Johnson, tweets MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.  Johnson is represented by Wasserman Media Group.

Johnson, 36 on Saturday, hit .290/.337/.398 in 288 plate appearances for the Cubs and Braves this year.  He joined the Braves in the July Paul Maholm trade.  A right-handed hitter, Johnson has a .306/.339/.457 line against southpaws over the past three seasons.

Latest On Ben Revere

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Twins outfielder Ben Revere appears to be in play, despite the team trading Denard Span to the Nationals six days ago.  Revere, 24, hit .294/.333/.342 in 553 plate appearances for the Twins this year, stealing 40 bags in 49 tries.  With just one year and 149 days of Major League service, Revere will not be arbitration eligible until 2014 at the earliest, and is under team control through 2017.  The latest:

Rockies Notes: Cuddyer, Francis, Fowler

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Some early-morning Rockies news, courtesy of the Denver Post's Troy Renck (Twitter links)…

  • A trade is still the more likely means for Colorado to acquire starting pitching help, according to Renck. Teams are calling about Dexter Fowler and Michael Cuddyer. Renck notes that the two years and $21MM remaining on Cuddyer's contract may be appealing to teams, given the inflated prices we've seen in this year's free agent market.
  • The one-year deal signed by Jeff Francis last night will pay the southpaw somewhere north of $750K salary that he earned in 2012.
  • Renck also writes that the team included Alex White in this week's Wilton Lopez trade because they no longer viewed White as a starter.
  • Within that same piece, Renck reports that in trade talks prior to the Winter Meetings, the Rockies asked for Mike Minor and one of Julio Teheran or Randall Delgado in exchange for Fowler. Needless to say, the price on Colorado's center fielder remains high.

Latest On Nate Schierholtz

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5:52pm: The Braves have interest in Schierholtz, tweets David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

1:00pm: The Orioles made an offer to Schierholtz that was turned down this morning, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  The O's eventually inked Nate McLouth.

9:27am: Having generated plenty of interest since hitting the free agent market last week, Nate Schierholtz is making "good progress" toward a new deal, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Olney adds that the Yankees are the early favorites to land the 28-year-old (Twitter links).

Schierholtz was traded by the Giants to the Phillies in the deadline deal that sent Hunter Pence to San Francisco. For the season, the outfielder hit .257/.321/.407 in 269 plate appearances. Despite a potential arbitration cost of around $1.6MM, according to MLBTR's projections, the Phillies elected not to tender Schierholtz a contract for 2013.

Marlins, Rays Interested In Juan Francisco

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The Braves' current depth chart features Martin Prado in left field and Juan Francisco at third base, but that could change if the Braves acquire an outfielder. If Atlanta were to add an outfielder and move Prado to third base, the club may trade Francisco, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The Marlins and Rays are among the teams that would have interest in Francisco, says Knobler.

Francisco, 25, received a career-high 192 plate appearances in 2012 and hit .234/.278/.432. As a pre-arb player, his salary is likely part of the appeal for cost-conscious teams like the Marlins and Rays.

After locking up B.J. Upton, the Braves are reportedly not overly interested in other free agent outfielders. However, various reports have suggested the club is still perusing trade options.

Braves Pick Up 2014 Option On Fredi Gonzalez

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The Braves have exercised their one-year option for manager Fredi Gonzalez, the team announced today (Twitter link). The move ensures Gonzalez is locked up through the 2014 season.

Gonzalez is entering his third year as the manager in Atlanta. The former Marlins skipper has posted a 183-141 record with the Braves, including a 2012 Wild Card berth.

NL East Notes: Santana, Braves, Reed Johnson

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Here are a few Wednesday morning NL East updates out of Nashville:

  • The Mets would be open to eating a portion of the money remaining on Johan Santana's deal in a trade, but so far the team hasn't received any inquiries, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
  • The Braves are seeking a pair of bench players, one right-handed hitter and one lefty, says David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Reed Johnson appears to be the team's top target as a righty bat, though he's still exploring his options, according to GM Frank Wren: "We’ve expressed an interest in bringing him back. He’s expressed an interest in coming back. But we’re just not there yet."
  • Atlanta also continues to explore trades for impact bats, according to O'Brien, who says the Braves are believed to have inquired on Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, Dexter Fowler, and Shin-Soo Choo, among others.
  • Dan Kolko of MASNSports.com looks into the remaining items on the Nationals' offseason to-do list.

Dodgers, Rangers Battling For Greinke

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Although Dan Haren found a deal this morning, much of the free agent pitching market remains on hold while Zack Greinke seeks a contract, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. As we wait for the dominos to begin to fall, we'll track today's Greinke updates right here, with the newest additions at the top of the page:

  • In an update on his previous report, Heyman writes that a third team could be involved, but that people most familiar with the situation expect the Dodgers or Rangers to sign Greinke for $160MM+. Some have speculated that number could reach as high as $175MM. The Rangers' talks with Josh Hamilton appear to be on hold while they pursue Greinke.

Earlier updates:

  • The Greinke derby appears to be between the Rangers and Dodgers, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, and the deal is likely to be for $160MM+.  The largest-ever contract signed by a pitcher is $161MM, from the Yankees for C.C. Sabathia four years ago.
  • The Dodgers would be surprised to see a resolution on the Greinke situation before they leave the Winter Meetings, tweets Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.
  • Dodgers manager Don Mattingly met with Greinke last week in Los Angeles, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.'
  • Greinke is still "going through the process" with teams, so his situation hasn't gained clarity yet, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
  • The Dodgers and Rangers appear to be the favorites for Greinke, with the Angels as the dark horse, tweets Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and SiriusXM also considers those three teams to be the strongest suitors for Greinke, though he views the Angels as a more likely candidate than the Rangers (Twitter link). With the Nats out and the Braves unlikely, Bowden wonders if a mystery team, such as the Blue Jays, Red Sox, or White Sox, could get involved.
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