Carl Crawford Rumors: Monday
When Jayson Werth signed a seven-year deal worth $126MM, it appeared to be a positive sign for Carl Crawford. Here’s the latest on Crawford and whether the Werth deal really does impact his bargaining power:
- ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark suggests Werth's contract may give Crawford fewer options, since few teams will be able to meet his demands. Stark suggests the Yankees are the lone team that can afford to offer the left fielder $180MM.
- Crawford is the Angels' top priority and the Tigers have definite interest, according to Stark.
- Angels GM Tony Reagins told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that he doesn't have a reaction to the Werth deal since what other clubs do "doesn't affect" the way the Angels operate. I'm guessing the Angels did not like what the Nationals did one bit.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports explained earlier today that the Red Sox could be priced out of the market for Crawford.
Indians, Tigers, Mets, Others Interested In Lewis
The Indians, Tigers and Mets are among the seven or eight teams showing interest in Fred Lewis, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The Blue Jays non-tendered Lewis after acquiring Rajai Davis, making him a free agent.
Lewis, 30 this week, hit .262/.332/.414 in 480 plate appearances for the Blue Jays, who acquired him from the Giants early in the season. Though he mostly played left field, Lewis did play some center and right in 2010. He contributed 31 doubles and 17 steals, mostly as Toronto's leadoff hitter.
Zack Greinke Rumors: Monday
Zack Greinke appears willing to waive his no-trade clause in any deal, but his list of potential suitors appeared to shrink when the Brewers acquired Shaun Marcum. Milwaukee tried to pry Greinke away from the Royals, but found that GM Dayton Moore was asking a lot for the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner. We'll keep track of all the day's Greinke rumors right here:
- The Royals appear to be tiring of the Rangers' offers, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. Discussions with Toronto appear to hinge on the Blue Jays' willingness to include Kyle Drabek and Travis Snider in a potential deal. Royals officials say a deal could come together in a hurry if the Blue Jays decide they're willing to part with those two players.
- The Reds have not talked to the Royals about a potential Greinke deal, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- The Braves are not pursuing Greinke and have not been pursuing him, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).
Phillies Interested In Juan Rivera
The Phillies are interested in Juan Rivera as a potential platoon partner for Domonic Brown, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times.
The Phillies are also pursuing Jeff Francoeur and may have interest in Matt Diaz. Rivera, who will earn $5.25MM next year before hitting free agency, could become expendable, especially if the Angels add Carl Crawford. Rivera, Francoeur, and Diaz topped my list of possible platoon partners for Brown back in October.
Rays Rumors: Howell, Johnson, Bartlett
The latest on the Rays, who are looking to re-build their bullpen and acquire a hitter or two:
- The Rays have progressed toward a deal with J.P. Howell, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). The team non-tendered the lefty last week.
- The Rays avoided arbitration with Dan Johnson and agreed on a 2011 salary of about $1MM, according to Topkin (Twitter links).
- The Rays and O's were discussing a trade that would have sent Jason Bartlett to Baltimore for a package similar to the one the Orioles sent to Arizona for Mark Reynolds, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter link).
- Cardinals GM Joh Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's not looking to acquire middle infielders, so a Barlett trade seems highly unlikely.
- Rays President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Topkin that he wouldn't be surprised if he ends up making a trade or two this week (Twitter link).
Yankees Notes: Feliciano, Wood, Pettitte
The Yankees met with Cliff Lee's agent today. Here are the rest of the updates on the team's quest for pitching:
- The Yankees will meet with Pedro Feliciano's representatives this week, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. The Rockies have also expressed interest in the lefty, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
- The Yankees are interested in re-signing Kerry Wood, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (Twitter link). GM Brian Cashman says he isn't interested in paying Wood "closer money."
- When Cashman checked in with Andy Pettitte recently, he heard that the lefty was still leaning toward retirement, according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter).
Russell Martin Suitors
5:50pm: The Yankees and Red Sox are in on Martin and the Mets and Blue Jays are less interested, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
4:34pm: The Dodgers have not been in contact with Martin's agent since Thursday, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
3:29pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Martin will be a catcher next year. The Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays and Mets all examined his medical information in the last day (Twitter links).
3:09pm: The Mets consider Martin too expensive and too much of an injury risk, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
MONDAY, 1:31pm: The Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Mets are also thought to be interested in Martin, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
FRIDAY, 9:16am: The Yankees, who tried to trade for Russell Martin this week, are one of six teams interested in the 27-year-old free agent, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reports that the Yankees nearly sent Francisco Cervelli to the Dodgers for Martin (Twitter links). In fact, the Yankees and Dodgers even exchanged medical records on Wednesday.
The Dodgers are nearing a deal with Rod Barajas, but they still have interest in re-signing Martin. Agent Matt Colleran says the Dodgers view his client differently than most teams do.
“They want to continue discussions with the idea that Russ could come back and catch, play second base and third and a little bit out of outfield to see if he likes something like that in the event he ever wants to transition from behind the plate,” Colleran said.
It wouldn't be surprising to see the Royals, Rangers, Mariners, Mets or Brewers look to upgrade behind the plate. ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that Martin, who is from Montreal, wants to play on the East Coast (Twitter link).
Brad Hawpe Has Multiple Offers
Brad Hawpe has multiple offers, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The 31-year-old outfielder turned down the Rays' offer of arbitration last week. Hawpe batted .245/.338/.419 with the Rockies and Rays last year. His homer total fell for the third consecutive season; Hawpe hit nine homers and 21 doubles in 346 plate appearances. The Rockies are not interested in bringing Hawpe back to Denver at this point.
Brewers Notes: Marcum, Prince, Greinke
The Brewers have one of the biggest trade chips in baseball and they actively pursued another one. Here are the details:
- Alex Anthopoulos and Doug Melvin both said Shaun Marcum's desire for an extension figured into the trade that sent the right-hander to Milwaukee, according to Yahoo's Steve Henson (on Twitter). The Blue Jays weren't going to offer him an extension, but that's something the Brewers are open to.
- The Brewers' top trade chip, Prince Fielder, is even more likely to stay put now that the team has acquired Marcum, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
- The Royals' top trade chip, Zack Greinke, intrigues the Brewers, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter). The team made two passes at Greinke before pursuing Marcum.
Mariners Sign Peguero For $2.9MM
The Mariners signed a top Dominican prospect to a deal that includes the highest international amatuer signing bonus of the year, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. Esteilon Peguero, a 17-year-old shortstop who is one of the most advanced hitting prospects in Latin America, signed for $2.9MM. The right-handed hitter has good bat speed, but may eventually move to second or third base.