Padres Close To Signing Dustin Moseley
The Padres are close to signing free agent right-hander Dustin Moseley to a major league deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The deal will be worth a guaranteed $900K, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. The Yankees non-tendered Moseley last week after they couldn't come to terms with him on a deal for 2011.
Moseley, who turns 29 this month, posted a 4.96 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 65 1/3 innings as a swingman for the Yankees. It's unclear whether he'll join Aaron Harang in the rotation or work out of Bud Black's 'pen.
Carl Crawford Rumors: Tuesday
We heard yesterday that the Angels and Tigers are still in on Carl Crawford. GM Tony Reagins said the Jayson Werth deal doesn't affect the way the Angels approach the rest of their offseason, but it wouldn't be surprising if Crawford's camp has nudged its asking price up a little since Sunday. Here's the latest on Crawford, with more updates to follow throughout the day:
- Signing Crawford remains by far the Angels’ top offseason priority, multiple sources tell ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
- The Red Sox are still in on Crawford, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link).
- The Angels are likely to have the money to sign just one of Crawford, Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter link).
- The Tigers aren't involved at Crawford's current asking price, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Sources tell Alex Speier of WEEI.com that it's premature to rule the Red Sox out of the Crawford sweepstakes, which could take some time to develop.
- Not surprisingly, the Angels haven't ruled out a high-profile addition, manager Mike Scioscia tells Yahoo's Steve Henson (Twitter link).
Astros Notes: Rowland-Smith, Hall, Cust, Rodriguez
The Rangers are grabbing all the headlines, but the other Texas team has been busy, too. The latest on the Astros:
- Houston is interested in Ryan Rowland-Smith, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (on Twitter).
- The Astros think they could get more offense from second base and have expressed interest in Bill Hall, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Yankees and Dodgers have also shown interest in Hall this offseason. Clint Barmes and Jeff Keppinger figure to play short and second for the Astros unless GM Ed Wade makes an addition.
- The Astros and Mariners are pushing for Jack Cust, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter). Seattle's interested in a number of free agents, including the former A's slugger.
- Hall and Cust are free agents, but the Astros haven't ruled out making a trade or two. Wade told McTaggart that he exchanged trade proposals with teams today, though Houston's advances weren't embraced by rival clubs (Twitter link).
- Wandy Rodriguez changed agents from Barry Praver to Adam Katz, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Rodriguez is set to discuss an extension with Houston.
Market For Russell Martin Intensifying
The market for Russell Martin is intensifying, with three AL East teams showing varying levels of interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all interested in the catcher, who may have other suitors.
The Mets appeared to have interest, but the chances of Sandy Alderson signing Martin seem slim now that the GM has agreed to sign Ronny Paulino. The Dodgers could re-enter the sweepstakes at some point.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported this week that Martin, a Montreal native, would like to sign with an East Coast team (Twitter link).
Damon, Sheffield Interested In Rays
11:16pm: Johnny Damon told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he'd like to play for the Rays. Damon said earlier this offseason that he'd like to re-join the Yankees.
4:07pm: Gary Sheffield told Steve Kornacki of MLive.com that he wants to play next year and that the Tampa Bay Rays are his first choice. Sheffield, who has ruled out a return to Detroit, wants to play for a competitive team. He says one team offered him an everyday job last year, but he turned the gig down because of doubts that the club could compete.
Sheffield batted .276/.372/.451 in 312 plate appearances for the 2009 Mets. It seems unlikely that National League teams would be comfortable allowing Sheffield to patrol the outfield on a daily basis, as he's now 42. Sheffield was born in Tampa and would like to play close to home.
Brewers Close To Signing Wil Nieves
The Brewers are close to signing Wil Nieves to a major league deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Nationals non-tendered the catcher last week, making him a free agent. Milwaukee has been looking for a veteran backstop to pair with Jonathan Lucroy.
Nieves, 33, has spent parts of seven seasons in the majors, posting a .227/.273/.297 line overall. He hit .203/.244/.310 in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals last year and threw out 24% of would-be base stealers, matching his career mark.
Marlins Determining Interest In Nolasco, Nunez
The Marlins are gauging interest in Ricky Nolasco and Leo Nunez, though they aren't committed to trading either pitcher, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Nolasco is two years away from free agency and was discussing a potential extension with the Marlins earlier this year before talks stalled. Nunez, the team's closer, is just one year away from free agency. He figures to earn $4MM or so in 2011 and Nolasco could earn $6-7MM.
Nunez, 27, posted a 3.46 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 65 innings last year. Nolasco, who turns 28 on Monday, logged 157 2/3 innings and posted a 4.51 ERA with a characteristically impressive 4.45 K/BB ratio.
Yankees, Rangers Finalists For Mark Prior
Cliff Lee isn't the only pitcher the Yankees and Rangers are bidding against each other on. Those two clubs are the finalists for Mark Prior, according to Tom Krasovic of AOLFanHouse (on Twitter). The 30-year-old right-hander has a connection to both clubs; he pitched in the Rangers' minor league system last year and the Yankees selected him 43rd overall in the 1998 draft, but were unable to sign him.
Prior soon became one of the National League's best pitchers after the Cubs drafted him second overall in 2001. He posted a 2.43 ERA with 10.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 as a 22-year-old just a year and a half after being drafted. A series of shoulder problems derailed Prior's career, but he has tried to resurrect it with stints in the Padres' and Rangers' systems. He has not pitched in a big league ballgame since 2006.
Rangers Interested In Magglio Ordonez
Why stop at Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, Paul Konerko or Zack Greinke? The Rangers are interested in just about every star player available and Magglio Ordonez is no exception. Ordonez is an alternative the Rangers are looking at in case talks with Vladimir Guerrero don't progress, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Guerrero, who wants a multiyear deal, is the team's first choice, but only on a one-year deal.
The Red Sox are also interested in Ordonez, who sounded optimistic about re-signing in Detroit not long ago. Before fracturing his right ankle last July, the 36-year-old Scott Boras client batted .303/.378/.474 in 365 plate appearances.
Indians Notes: Colon, Encarnacion, Choo, Punto
The Indians have been quiet this offseason, but GM Chris Antonetti is making progress on potential moves, as MLB.com's Jordan Bastian and others report:
- The Indians have some interest in bringing Bartolo Colon back to Cleveland, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter). The right-hander pitched for the Tribe from 1997-2002 and is back on the radar and attempting a comeback. He last pitched in the majors for the 2009 White Sox. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer disagrees, shooting down the idea on Twitter.
- The Indians' interest in Edwin Encarnacion appears to have cooled, Bastian notes on Twitter.
- The Indians will discuss the possibility of a Shin-Soo Choo extension with agent Scott Boras this offseason. I looked at Choo's case for an extension back in September.
- Antonetti said the club could have interest in adding an infielder. They are interested in Adam Everett, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
- The Tribe met a number of agents today, including the representatives for free agent infielder Nick Punto.
- The Indians are close to signing former Rockies catcher Paul Phillips to a minor league contract.