Mariners Targeting Luis Valbuena
9:00pm: The Mariners have yet to make their pitch to the Indians, according to Hoynes (on Twitter).
8:22pm: The teams are talking about a deal that would send Valbuena to Seattle and reunite him with former Indians manager Eric Wedge, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).
5:17pm: The Mariners are targeting Indians infielder Luis Valbuena as a second baseman, according to Shannon Drayer of ESPN 710 in Seattle (Twitter link). The 25-year-old appeared in 91 games for the Tribe last year, batting .193/.273/.258 in 310 plate appearances. He hit considerably better in 2009 when he posted a .250/.298/.416 line with 25 doubles.
Rangers, Cubs Talking Multiplayer Trade
8:52pm: The Cubs like Davis, but don't want to part with much in a trade, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
6:00pm: The Rangers and Cubs are discussing a trade that would send Chris Davis and Darren O'Day to Chicago, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter).
Davis, 24, has the makings of a slugger, but has struggled to realize his potential. He has 39 homers in 872 big league plate apperances, which projects to 25 or 30 over the course of a full season. Davis has a .248/.300/.459 line in parts of three major league seasons and he strikes out in 32% of his plate appearances.
The Rangers claimed O'Day off of waivers from the Mets in 2009 and saw him develop into a valuable cog in their bullpen. The sidearmer has a 1.99 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 117 2/3 innings for Texas.
Brewers Rumors: Weeks, Capuano, Francis, Webb
The Brewers have had some trade discussions about Prince Fielder, and inquired on Matt Garza. Here are the rest of the details on the Crew:
- The Brewers had "productive" talks with Rickie Weeks' representatives about a potential extension, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Assistant GM Gord Ash says the sides have "reason to continue to talk" to Weeks, who can become a free agent after the 2011 season.
- GM Doug Melvin told Haudricourt that he intends to meet with the agent for Craig Counsell and work a deal out soon. The Brewers have made the veteran infielder more than one proposal.
- The Brewers have another offer out to Chris Capuano and are waiting to hear from him.
- Manager Ron Roenicke says the team would like to pair Jonathan Lucroy with a veteran catcher next year, according to Haudricourt (Twitter link).
- The Brewers seem hesitant to commit to a pitcher coming back from an injury, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- Melvin says the Brewers haven't called the agent for Jeff Francis, though they've been linked to the left-hander repeatedly. The team scouted Brandon Webb, but their level of interest in the former Cy Young Award winner seems low.
- The Brewers have had discussions with the Braves, but Melvin says he doesn't have any ongoing talks with Atlanta.
Possible Extensions For Pujols, Uggla, Cahill
TUESDAY, 7:39pm: Braves GM Frank Wren and agent Terry Bross will discuss an Uggla extension soon, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Wren says he would like to sign Uggla to an extension and is optimistic about reaching one.
MONDAY, 8:43pm: The Cardinals, Braves and Athletics have interest in locking up star players to multiyear extensions. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak met with the representatives for Albert Pujols today, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter).
The Marlins traded Dan Uggla to Atlanta partly because extension talks with the second baseman stalled, but the Braves are now making progress on a possible extension, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link). Uggla, who turned down a four-year, $48MM offer from the Marlins this fall, will likely earn about $10MM in 2011.
The A's are exploring a possible multiyear deal with Trevor Cahill, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). The 22-year-old is under team control through 2014. It wouldn't be the first time GM Billy Beane has locked up a young starter, as Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Rich Harden, Dan Haren and Brett Anderson will attest.
Rays, White Sox Interested In Accardo
Add the Rays and White Sox to the list of teams showing interest in non-tendered reliever Jeremy Accardo, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Dodgers and Pirates have already expressed interest in the former Blue Jays closer.
Accardo, 29 this month, saved 30 games and posted a 2.14 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 2007. He has since bounced between the majors and minors and spent most of last season a Triple-A Las Vegas, where he posted a 3.48 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9.
Diamondbacks Sign J.J. Putz
The Diamondbacks signed J.J. Putz to a two-year, $10MM deal with an option for 2013. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links), MLB.com's Steve Gilbert and Jon Heyman of SI.com all reported on the deal, which is official now that the reliever passed his physical. Putz earns $4MM in 2011, $4.5MM in 2012 and either $6.5MM or a $1.5MM buyout in 2013, according to Rosenthal. LSW Baseball represents Putz, who posted a 2.83 ERA with 10.8 K/9 in 54 innings last year.
The White Sox offered the Type B free agent arbitration, so they'll obtain a supplementary first round pick for losing Putz. Back on November 10th, two MLBTR writers predicted Putz would sign with the Diamondbacks.
The Diamondbacks, who have prioritized the reconstruction of their bullpen, already added relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio today.
Mets Showing Interest In Chad Qualls
The Mets are showing interest in Chad Qualls, according to Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 32-year-old right-hander posted a 7.32 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 59 innings for the D'Backs and Rays last year.
The Type B free agent declined the Rays' offer of arbitration, so Tampa Bay will get a supplementary first round pick if Qualls signs a major league deal elsewhere. The Mets have been busy today; they're closing in on a deal with D.J. Carrasco and talking with Ronny Paulino.
Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Garcia, Delcarmen, Gomez
Links for Tuesday, exactly five years after the Blue Jays signed A.J. Burnett to a five-year, $55MM deal. Now with the Yankees, Burnett's part of a Yankees rotation that's very much in flux. Here are today's links…
- The Cardinals announced on Twitter that they avoided arbitration with Ryan Theriot, signing the infielder to a one-year deal for 2011. Fanhouse's Steve Phillips says the deal is for $3.3MM.
- A Los Angeles judge ruled that Frank McCourt is not the sole owner of the Dodgers and the ruling is not expected to impact the team's day-to-day operations, according to Bill Shaikin and Carla Hall of the LA Times. If anything, the Dodgers have spent more aggressively than usual this winter.
- The Mets talked to Freddy Garcia's representatives at some point before the meetings, but the right-hander is not the team's top priority, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on Twitter).
- Manny Delcarmen, who was non-tendered by the Rockies last week, is drawing interest from two AL East teams (but not the Red Sox) according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter).
- Carlos Gomez is available, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). The Brewers want pitching for Gomez and are reluctant to part with Lorenzo Cain.
- Quiet day for the Reds – GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that he's had "zero" discussions with teams or agents today (Twitter link).
- The Diamondbacks have some interest in Henry Blanco, but the catcher isn't expected to decide on his next team at the meetings, according to Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona (on Twitter).
- Derek Jeter told reporters, including Ben Shpigel of the New York Times, that he was bothered by how public his contract negotiations became.
Dodgers Sign Tony Gwynn Jr.
The Dodgers signed Tony Gwynn Jr. to a one-year major league deal, according to Tom Krasovic of AOLFanHouse (on Twitter). The contract will pay Gwynn $675K, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (Twitter link). The Padres non-tendered the 28-year-old last week, making him a free agent. Gwynn batted just .204/.304/.287 in 339 plate appearances last year, but he can play strong defense.
He'll likely back up Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier in center and right, respectively. The Dodgers could still explore a deal for a right-handed hitting complement to left fielder Jay Gibbons.
The Dodgers can retain Gwynn for a few years if they want, since he won't have enough service time to hit free agency until after the 2013 season. Legacy Sports represents the outfielder.
Orioles Closing In On Deal With Uehara
The Orioles are closing in on a deal with Koji Uehara, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). They have also offered Kevin Gregg a two-year deal, the Sun reports. Six teams were interested in Uehara as recently as yesterday, so the Orioles have presumably made a competitive multiyear offer if they're near an agreement.
The 35-year-old right-hander posted a 2.86 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9 in 44 innings of work last year. He made trips to the disabled list because of elbow and thigh injuries, but few pitchers have a strikeout to walk ratio as impressive as Uehara's.