Ben Nicholson-Smith | MLB Trade Rumors

Quick Hits: Montero, Wilson, Minor

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 24, 2012 at 3:45pm CDT

It appears "likely" that MLB will expand the playoffs to include ten teams starting this season, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports. Talks to resolve scheduling obstacles have picked up in recent days as the March 1st deadline draws closer. Here are some links from around MLB…

No new talks have taken place between the Diamondbacks and catcher Miguel Montero, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com tweets. The sides are up against a soft deadline of March 20th and are surely monitoring extension talks for backstops Russell Martin and Yadier Molina.
Braves shortstop Jack Wilson will be sidelined with a right calf injury for four to six weeks, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said internal candidates such as Josh Wilson and Drew Sutton could back Tyler Pastornicky up until Wilson returns.
Mike Minor annoyed Braves people by suggesting he'd like a trade if he isn't in the rotation, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets.

NL Central Notes: Oswalt, Molina, Braun

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 24, 2012 at 2:38pm CDT

Ryan Braun publicly denied taking banned substances at Brewers camp today, expressing a willingness to bet his life that the substance in question never entered his body. Braun called the current drug testing system ‘fatally flawed’ and respectfully disagreed with MLB’s reaction to yesterday’s news that he won his appeal. Here’s the latest from the NL Central…

Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears the Cardinals recently boosted their offer to Roy Oswalt to $5MM from $3MM (Twitter links). Oswalt announced yesterday that he will look to sign midseason.
The Cardinals have made enough progress in extension talks with Yadier Molina that an agreement could be in place within a week, Strauss reports.
Major League Baseball is a big loser in the aftermath of Braun's appeal, since an old wound has been re-opened, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes.

AL East Notes: Davis, Carpenter, Soler, Beeston

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 24, 2012 at 2:35pm CDT

The latest from Florida, where all five AL East teams are preparing for Opening Day…

Rays starter Wade Davis told Bill Chastain of MLB.com that he doesn't want to get traded, despite the uncertainty surrounding his role on the 2012 team.
Red Sox right-hander Chris Carpenter tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that it was "kind of cool" to be traded for Theo Epstein earlier this week. Epstein called Carpenter to explain the situation.
All of Boston's top talent evaluators including GM Ben Cherington have seen Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports. The 19-year-old appeals to the Red Sox more than Yoenis Cespedes did, according to Edes.
Blue Jays president Paul Beeston, who is entering the final year of his contract, told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that he'd like to continue in his current role. “I guess I would say that, but I’m not even thinking about that right now," he said. The Blue Jays promoted Alex Anthopoulos and invested in scouting and player development since Beeston assumed his current role following the 2008 season.
The Orioles aren't likely to add a catcher from outside of the organization any time soon, MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets.

Morneau: Concussion Symptoms May Threaten Career

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 24, 2012 at 9:51am CDT

Justin Morneau has played just 69 games since being concussed July of 2010, and there's no guarantee his troubles are over with. The 30-year-old first baseman acknowledged that concussion symptoms could end his career, according to Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“I don’t think there will be a career if it’s something I’m dealing with," he said. “That’s the reality of the whole thing. I’m obviously not going to continue to mess around with this if it continues to be a problem. There comes a point where you can only torture yourself for so long."

Morneau explained that he enjoys playing baseball, but finds it frustrating not to be able to contribute on the field. He's under contract for $14MM in 2012 and the same amount in 2013. Morneau is a four-time All-Star who won the 2006 American League MVP at the age of 25.

Mike Minor Talks Role With Braves, Trade

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 24, 2012 at 8:28am CDT

GM Frank Wren told David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Mike Minor is the “incumbent” in the competition for the Braves' final rotation spot because of his experience and left-handedness. However, Minor says he would prefer not to go to Triple-A if he fails to earn a rotation spot after pitching well.

“Then there’s no reason I shouldn’t pitch in the big leagues somewhere,” he said. “If they don’t have room for me here, then there’s no reason they shouldn’t trade me or just do something with me.”

Minor, 24, clarified his comments to manager Fredi Gonzalez and some teammates, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman (Twitter links). Minor says the Braves should trade him if he hasn't earned a lasting spot in the Major Leagues by next year.

Minor owns a 4.74 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 123 1/3 innings at the Major League level. The 2009 first rounder made 15 starts for the Braves last year and another 16 at Triple-A. He is currently vying for the fifth spot in the Braves’ rotation, along with prospects Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado.

Yankees, Martin Discussing Extension

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 23, 2012 at 9:21pm CDT

9:21pm: Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says (on Twitter) that talks haven't gotten off the ground, and the two sides will revisit an extension during the season. The Yankees are willing to do $20MM over three years, but Martin wants a raise.

3:03pm: The Yankees have suggested the possibility of re-working Russell Martin’s one-year contract into a three-year extension, agent Matt Colleran told Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. However, GM Brian Cashman said Martin and Colleran "weren't interested" in the team's initial offer, Jack Curry of the YES Network reports (Twitter links). Martin will earn $7.5MM in 2012 on his current contract before hitting free agency.

The Yankees aim to have a payroll under $189MM by the 2014 season for luxury tax purposes, and Martin is willing to “be flexible in their budget constraints," according to Colleran. GM Brian Cashman and Colleran spoke yesterday and will likely discuss a deal again soon. Though the Yankees' initial offer didn't entice Martin to sign, Cashman said he's open to resuming discussions.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals continue extension talks with Yadier Molina, who is also scheduled to hit free agency after the season. If Martin and Molina sign long-term, Mike Napoli and Miguel Montero would be the top available free agent catchers next winter. Arizona GM Kevin Towers said earlier in the offseason that there are few satisfying comparable catchers to Montero and MLBTR's Extension Tracker supports his assertion. The catchers with five or more years of service time who recently signed extensions wouldn't be relevant to Martin, Molina, Montero and Napoli.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Rays, Rivera, Vizquel

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 23, 2012 at 3:50pm CDT

Roy Oswalt probably won't be signing in Boston any time soon and the Yankees are discussing a multiyear deal with Russell Martin. Here are some more updates of note from the AL East…

Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said he's ready to move on without Oswalt, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports. “I think I may have been more comfortable, but I wouldn’t have been totally comfortable,” Valentine said of potentially signing Oswalt. “What did he pitch, 136 innings last year?” Valentine was close — it was 139.
Red Sox GM Ben Cherington says he doesn’t anticipate making any more additions in the near future, Alex Speier of WEEI.com tweets.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports discusses the Rays’ impressive rotation depth and explains why it’s a good ‘problem’ to have. Manager Joe Maddon told Rosenthal the club could use a six-man rotation at times this year and said top prospect Matt Moore won’t be relegated to the bullpen.
Mariano Rivera seems to be savoring the early days of Spring Training, so Joel Sherman of the New York Post won’t be surprised if the closer chooses to retire after the season.
Blue Jays infielder Omar Vizquel said he'll likely become involved in coaching next year, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm (on Twitter). The 44-year-old doesn't anticipate playing after 2012 and would eventually like to manage in the Major Leagues.

Roy Oswalt Will Look To Sign Midseason

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 23, 2012 at 2:10pm CDT

2:10pm: Agent Bob Garber confirmed to reporters that Oswalt will stay in shape and look to sign with a contender midseason, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).

12:09pm: Roy Oswalt has told MLB teams that he may sign midseason, ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick reports. The free agent right-hander explained that he intends to stay ready in case an appealing opportunity emerges before midseason.

The Red Sox, Rangers, Cardinals and Reds were among the many clubs to express interest in Oswalt this offseason. It appears that they didn't have enough room in their rotations or budgets for the 34-year-old, who seeks a one-year deal and a job as a starter.

Roger Clemens, a former teammate of Oswalt's, sat out the beginning of the season in 2006 and 2007 before signing midseason and Pedro Martinez had a similar approach to the 2009 campaign.

NL Central Notes: Braun, Molina, Crisp, Gimenez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 23, 2012 at 2:00pm CDT

Considerable uncertainty surrounds the Brewers, who don't yet know whether Ryan Braun will miss 50 games after a positive test for a banned substance. Here are the latest links from the NL Central, which will look much different than it did a year ago whether or not Braun plays a full season in 2012…

Braun is on his way to Brewers camp and doesn’t know whether he’ll face a 50-game suspension yet, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. A decision is expected today or tomorrow.
Brewers camp is looking different this year, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes. There are more distractions than the Brewers would like, as Braun's possible suspension looms and the club moves on without Prince Fielder.
Agent Melvin Roman recently met with Cardinals GM John Mozeliak to discuss an extension for Yadier Molina, Derrick Goold and Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report. The most recent round of discussions took place in the past two days and went well, the Post-Dispatch reports. Roman said Tuesday that the sides won't discuss an extension after Opening Day.
Coco Crisp said the Cardinals offered him a multiyear deal this offseason, Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group tweets. The outfielder eventually signed a two-year, $14MM contract with the Athletics.
The Pirates nearly signed Chris Gimenez earlier this month, the catcher told Bill Chastain of MLB.com. The Rays signed Gimenez soon after the Mariners released him.

Youngest Free Agents Remaining

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 23, 2012 at 1:08pm CDT

Now that Spring Training is underway, few notable free agents not named Roy Oswalt remain. Some players (min. 50 PAs in 2011) and pitchers (min. 20 IP in 2011) are available, but they’re generally nearing the ends of their careers or recovering from serious injuries. There are currently just eight remaining free agents who will play the 2012 season at or under the age of 33.

Kyle Davies, 28, checks in as the youngest free agent available, but he hasn’t drawn any reported interest after posting a 6.75 ERA in 13 starts for the 2011 Royals. The markets for 31-year-olds Sergio Mitre and Felipe Lopez have been equally quiet.

Jon Garland, 32, had a physical scheduled with the Indians this week, but he didn’t take it, so his minor league contract fell through. Another 32-year-old, Chris Young, pitched just 24 innings last year, though he did draw some interest from the Mets over the winter. Brandon Webb, also 32, hasn't appeared in the Major Leagues since Opening Day, 2009

The two remaining 33-year-olds seem to be line for minor league deals, if they do sign. Xavier Nady didn't offer the Diamondbacks much in terms of power, on-base skills or defensive value last year and Michael Wuertz walked 26 in 33 2/3 innings for the Athletics.

Health permitting, all of these free agents are young enough to turn their careers around, so a comeback story or two might be in store. That said, it’s no surprise that teams are generally focused on their own players at this point in the year.

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