Padres Interested In Andrew Bailey
The Padres are interested in acquiring Athletics closer Andrew Bailey to replace Heath Bell, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). It remains likely that the A's will trade Bailey, Olney writes.
The Rangers, Mets, Blue Jays, Mariners and Reds are also interested in Bailey, one of Billy Beane's main offseason trade chips. The 27-year-old right-hander posted a 3.24 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 41 2/3 innings in 2011 after recovering a forearm strain that sidelined him early in the season. MLBTR projects a $3.5MM salary for Bailey in 2012.
Luke Gregerson, Ernesto Frieri and Josh Spence are projected to return to a Padres bullpen that also included Bell, Mike Adams and Chad Qualls six months ago. San Diego obtains two compensatory draft picks for losing Bell, who agreed to a three-year, $27MM deal with the Marlins yesterday.
Marlins Eyeing Aramis, Pursuing Reyes, Buehrle
The Marlins have discussed the possibility of signing Prince Fielder and some of their front office executives like the idea of pursuing the 27-year-old free agent, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, Miami is more active in its pursuit of Albert Pujols and other top free agents. The latest:
- The Marlins are putting an all-out press on Jose Reyes and hope to sign him before next week's Winter Meetings, according to Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link).
- However, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hears that the Marlins have made so little headway with Reyes that they could make a push for Aramis Ramirez (Twitter links). Agent Paul Kinzer acknowledges he has had some discussions with the Marlins, but says talks are now becoming serious with four teams.
- The biggest obstacle preventing Mark Buehrle from signing in Miami is the team's reluctance to give him a no-trade clause, according to Rosenthal. The holdup in the talks may push the Marlins to pursue another free agent lefty, C.J. Wilson. The Rangers and Angels are also in the mix for Wilson, while the Nationals like both Wilson and Buehrle. Though Buehrle prefers the Midwest, he'd be happy to join former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen in the National League, Rosenthal reports.
Rosenthal On Capuano, Fielder, Marlins, Red Sox
The Twins offered Chris Capuano a two-year deal before he accepted the Dodgers' offer, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Here are more of Rosenthal's notes from around MLB…
- The Marlins have discussed Prince Fielder internally and some team officials like the idea of pursuing him, according to Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi. However, they're more focused on Albert Pujols. Agent Scott Boras is telling teams that Fielder is the last available young power bat until Mike Stanton hits free agency.
- The Pirates were also pursuing Capuano before he signed, Morosi tweets.
- One GM says other teams backed off from Jose Reyes after the Marlins offered him $90MM over six years.
- The Cardinals offered Albert Pujols a nine-year deal worth $190-200MM in Spring Training and haven’t changed their proposal since.
- The Red Sox are exploring every trade possibility and considering every free agent closer, according to Rosenthal. Boston is hoping to find a bargain somewhere in the crowded market for top-tier relievers.
Pirates Interested In Cespedes, Chen, Wada
The Pirates are interested in outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and free agent left-handers Wei-Yin Chen and Tsuyoshi Wada, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter links). However, they'll quickly back away if the bidding on Cespedes gets "crazy." Cespedes is expected to become a free agent relatively soon and Wada and Chen have been able to negotiate with MLB teams since free agency began Thursday.
Wada posted a 1.51 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 184 2/3 innings for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks in 2011. The 30-year-old is a Dallas Braden type with "a 86-87 mph fastball, a good circle change, and a solid slider," according to Patrick Newman of FanGraphs.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested last month that a four-year, $20MM deal might be enough to sign Chen. The 26-year-old posted a 2.68 ERA with 5.1 K/9 in 164 2/3 innings this past season.
Heyman On Braves, Wilson, Reyes, Astros, Minaya
The Marlins agreed to sign Heath Bell last night and they may make more major free agent signings later this month. Here’s the latest from Jon Heyman of SI.com, starting with a note on the Marlins (Twitter links):
- The Braves want a young outfielder and shortstop plus other players for Jair Jurrjens.
- The Yankees have looked at free agent left-hander Mike Gonzalez.
- The Nationals will push for C.J. Wilson, according to Heyman. They want a left-handed starter and Wilson appears to be their top target.
- The Marlins are optimistic about signing Jose Reyes and they are considering upping their initial bid (it was in the $75-90MM range). The Mets and Marlins appear to be Reyes' two main suitors, but interested teams view the Tigers as a threat to sign the shortstop. “They are good poker players,” one exec said.
- The Astros are shopping Wandy Rodriguez, Brett Myers and Carlos Lee. I’d guess it’s unlikely they make a move before they hire a new GM.
- The Astros "will do whatever it takes'' to hire Rays executive Andrew Friedman, according to Heyman. Friedman is unsure if he wants to leave the Rays, however.
- The Padres and Brewers are showing interest in former Mets and Expos GM Omar Minaya and he may make a decision soon.
- Jorge Posada would like to play if he can find the right job and Heyman suggests the Marlins are a possible fit for the switch-hitter.
Samsung Lions Sign Mitch Talbot
The Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization have signed Mitch Talbot for $300K, according to Korean reports relayed by Dan of MyKBO.net. The Indians, Talbot's former team, outrighted him off of the roster after the regular season, which made him a free agent.
The 28-year-old posted a 6.64 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 63 2/3 innings for the Indians in 2011, though he spent time on the disabled list with a lower back strain in July. He pitched 159 1/3 innings of 4.41 ERA ball in 2010 after the Indians acquired him from Tampa Bay for Kelly Shoppach in December of 2009.
AL East Notes: Valentine, Wilson, Howell, Johnson
Here are some notes from the AL East on the day the Red Sox officially introduced their new manager…
- The Red Sox and manager Bobby Valentine agreed on a two-year deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The Red Sox hold team options on Valentine for 2014 and 2015, tweets WEEI.com's Alex Speier.
- Valentine reached out to David Cone about becoming the new Red Sox pitching coach, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network (Twitter link). Cone isn't expected to take the job but was "flattered."
- The Yankees turned down a request by C.J. Wilson's agent for a visit to Yankee Stadium, reports ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand. That's not a good sign for Wilson's chances of signing with the Bombers, which Marchand believes are "less than five percent."
- Erik Hahmann of the DRaysBay blog looks at the situation between the Rays and lefty J.P. Howell. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes listed Howell as one of this winter's non-tender candidates.
- The Blue Jays are still open to bringing back Kelly Johnson next year, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Also from Morosi, he thinks the Blue Jays could — and should — sign free agent first baseman Prince Fielder.
- Eric Chavez definitely wants to play in 2012 and a number of teams have strong interest in him, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter links). Some West Coast teams are interested in Chavez and the Yankees appear to be in the mix as well.
- The Rays have some interest in Cuban center fielder Yoenis Cespedes, but probably can’t afford him, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter).
- The Orioles hired former Phillies GM Lee Thomas as a special assistant, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com first mentioned the possibility (on Twitter). It's worth noting that Scott Proefrock and Joe Jordan of the Phillies are former Orioles front office employees.
MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post
White Sox Notes: Danks, Sale, Ramirez
The White Sox have many appealing trade chips, including Carlos Quentin and Gavin Floyd, so GM Kenny Williams will likely be fielding all kinds of inquiries in Dallas at next week's Winter Meetings. Here's the latest on the White Sox…
- The White Sox haven’t offered John Danks a long-term deal recently, according to Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com. The White Sox were rebuffed not too long ago and are now more likely to trade the left-hander, according to Padilla. However, the team hasn’t given up on working out a new contract with Danks.
- Teams have asked the White Sox about Chris Sale and Alexei Ramirez, but the price for either player would be "sky-high," according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- White Sox manager Robin Ventura told reporters, including Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, that he's like to get 30 starts out of both Danks and Floyd while playing Quentin in right field on a regular basis (Twitter link). However, the new manager realizes it may not work out that way in 2012.
Minor Moves: Nunez, Palmer, Moss, Mock
The latest minor moves from around MLB…
- The Rays signed righty Jhonny Nunez to a minor league deal, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy.
- The Padres signed right-hander Matt Palmer to a minor league deal, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter link).
- The Brewers signed outfielder Miguel Velazquez to a minor league deal, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (all links go to Twitter).
- The A’s signed outfielder Brandon Moss to a minor league deal, according to Goldstein.
- The Padres signed left-hander Alex Hinshaw to a minor league deal, according to Goldstein.
- The Blue Jays signed former Nationals prospect Garrett Mock to a minor league deal, according to Goldstein.
- The Royals announced that they signed right-hander Zach Miner, infielders Jamie Romak, Eric Duncan, Sharlon Schoop and Tony Abreu and left-handers Marlon Arias and Tommy Hottovy to minor league contracts. Miner, Abreu and Hottovy have big league experience, though only Hottovy appeared in the Major Leagues this past season. Duncan, once a highly-regarded prospect, posted a .849 OPS at Double-A as a utility player in 2011. Romak posted an .803 OPS for the Royals in 2011 and even pitched on two occasions.
Angels Notes: Maicer Izturis, Jeff Mathis
The Angels made their first major move of the offseason last night, acquiring Chris Iannetta from the Rockies for Tyler Chatwood. Here’s a look ahead at what GM Jerry Dipoto may do next…
- There are indications that the Angels will either trade or non-tender Jeff Mathis by the December 12th deadline for teams to offer contracts to arbitration eligible players, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times. MLBTR projects a $1.8MM salary for Mathis if the Angels tender him a contract. However, the Angels may be able to trade him.
- The Rockies are expected to pursue Mathis if the Angels non-tender him, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. The Mets are looking for a relatively young catch and throw guy, so Mathis could be an option for them, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- The Rockies and Angels discussed Maicer Izturis before completing last night’s trade, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Tigers are another club with interest in Izturis.