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Red Sox, Dempster Nearing Deal

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The Red Sox are close to a deal with Ryan Dempster, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Rosenthal reported yesterday that the Red Sox were in serious talks with Dempster. LSW Baseball represents the free agent right-hander.

Dempster, 35, posted a 3.38 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 2.7 BB/9 and a 43.5% ground ball rate in 173 innings for the Cubs and Rangers in 2012. The 15-year veteran saw his average fastball velocity dip below 90 mph, but he continued generating swings and misses. His 10.4% swinging strike rate was right around his career mark of 10.8%. He's not linked to draft pick compensation, which means the Red Sox won't have to surrender a pick to complete a deal.

Earlier in the offseason Dempster turned down a two-year, $25MM offer from the Boston. The Brewers and Royals have also been linked to Dempster, who ranked 16th on MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents this year.

The Red Sox could use rotation depth for the 2013 season. Their current rotation options include Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Felix Doubront, John Lackey and Franklin Morales.

This post was first published on December 13th, 2012.

NL East Notes: Braves, Nationals, Phillies

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Here are the latest links from the NL East…

  • The Braves made an “aggressive” offer for Shin-Soo Choo before the Reds acquired him, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Mariners were also involved, but their offer wasn’t as strong.
  • Nationals manager Davey Johnson said he has received “positive signs” from GM Mike Rizzo that Washington will re-sign free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche before Christmas, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter).
  • The Phillies and Brewers were in on Sean Burnett before he signed with the Angels, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (all Twitter links). Morosi wonders if this means the Phillies would be willing to move a left-handed reliever. It's possible Antonio Bastardo, Jeremy Horst and Raul Valdes would have become trade candidates if the Phillies had signed Burnett.
  • Here's the latest on the Mets and R.A. Dickey.

Tigers, Mariners Discussed Boesch

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The Tigers and Mariners have had preliminary trade talks about a potential deal that would send Brennan Boesch to Seattle, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports. Danny Knobler of CBSSports reported during the Winter Meetings that the Mariners have some interest in Boesch.

The teams aren’t close to a trade, Morosi reports. However, Boesch remains an option for Seattle. The Tigers might seek left-handed relief in a deal for the outfielder, Morosi suggests.

Boesch appeared in 132 games for the Tigers this past season, posting a .240/.286/.372 batting line with 12 home runs in 503 plate appearances. The left-handed hitting 27-year-old will go to arbitration for the first time this offseason. He has a projected salary of $2.1MM for 2013.

Rangers Claim Eli Whiteside

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Eli Whiteside's busy offseason continued today with yet another waiver claim. The Rangers claimed the catcher off of waivers from the Blue Jays, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

Whiteside's offseason began when the Yankees claimed him from the Giants. After the Yankees claimed him, he agreed to a one-year deal for 2013, only to be designated him for assignment. The Blue Jays then claimed Whiteside off of waivers last week.

Whiteside appeared in 12 games with the Giants this past season and played another 60 contests with San Francisco's Triple-A affiliate. In parts of five seasons at the MLB level, the 33-year-old has a .215/.273/.335 batting line. He had been a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $600K. Whiteside is set to earn $625K in 2013 and $200K of that sum is guaranteed.

R.A. Dickey Rumors: Wednesday

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The extension and trade talks continue for the Mets and R.A. Dickey. The Mets recently increased their offer to the two-year, $20MM range on top of Dickey's 2013 salary of $5MM. Previously the team had been offering a total of approximately $16MM for the 2014-15 seasons, but Dickey still seeks $26MM for that two-year period. Meanwhile, at least a couple of teams have offered an elite prospect for the 38-year-old. Here’s the latest…

  • The Red Sox aren't pursuing Dickey for now, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). They won't pursue Dickey until they know if they can sign Ryan Dempster, a serious target for Boston. 

Earlier updates:

  • The Mets aren't expecting anything to happen with the Dodgers and Dickey, Martino reports (on Twitter). There doesn't appear to be a fit, as the Mets didn't like Zach Lee and Dee Gordon as a potential return.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson won't allow drama or emotion to determine the outcome of the Dickey situation, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News writes (Twitter links). The Mets say there's been more trade interest in Dickey since Zack Greinke signed and James Shields was traded.
  • Dickey spoke up about his extension talks at a Mets holiday function and the organization was "not happy" about it, Joel Sherman and Mike Puma of the New York Post report. There's an "underlying tension between team and player," the Post writers explain. Dickey, the 2012 NL Cy Young winner, continues to draw trade interest. The Rangers have inquired, and so has every AL East team. The Mets want a high-end prospect and at least one other very good prospect, but they'd consider providing the acquiring team with a window for negotiating an extension. 
  • Though the Mets are low-balling Dickey, they should use the leverage they have, Sherman writes. They know Dickey wants security and they know other teams seek top-of-the-rotation starters, so they're not about to compromise. The Mets have some concerns about the knuckleballer both on and off of the field.

Josh Hamilton Rumors: Wednesday

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Josh Hamilton, the top free agent position player of the offseason, remains unsigned. The Rangers and Phillies seem like logical fits for Hamilton, who has also drawn significant interest from the Mariners. Here’s the latest, with the most recent rumors up top…

  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels said today that his feelings regarding Hamilton haven't changed since day one, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. "We want Josh back and always have," Daniels said. "It has nothing to do with who is still on the market and who is off the market. We've maintained communication and the relationship is good. We'd still like to work something out but I can't handicap it."
  • Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hears from a Phillies source who would be "shocked" if Hamilton signs in Philadelphia (Twitter link).
  • However, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reported this morning that Phillies officials have privately maintained that they’d be prepared to offer Hamilton a three-year deal.

Contract Details: Burnett, Blanton, Choate

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The Angels officially announced their deals with Sean Burnett and Joe Blanton today. Here are details on those contracts and the breakdown of another recently-signed deal…

  • Burnett’s 2015 option vests if he pitches in 110 total games from 2013-14, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports (all Twitter links). The 2015 option is valued at $4.5MM. The Angels recently agreed to sign Burnett to a two-year, $8MM contract that includes incentives. The option becomes a club option with a $500K buyout if it doesn't vest, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). Burnett obtains a $250K signing bonus, $3.5MM in 2013 and $3.75MM in 2014, Rosenthal reports.
  • Blanton’s two-year, $15MM contract with the Angels calls for a $6.5MM salary in 2013 and a $7.5MM salary in 2014, DiGiovanna reports. The deal includes an $8MM club option for 2015 with a $1MM buyout. 
  • Randy Choate will earn base salaries of $1.5MM in 2013, $3MM in 2014 and $3MM in 2015 on his three-year, $7.5MM contract with the Cardinals, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. Langosch has all of the details on the deal, which was agreed upon one week ago.

Pirates Sign Jason Grilli

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Jason Grilli - Pirates (PW)

The Pirates announced that they have signed free agent reliever Jason Grilli to a two-year deal. The sides agreed to a two-year, $6.75MM contract, Scott Miller and Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported (on Twitter links). Former MLB player Gary Sheffield represents the 36-year-old right-hander.

Grilli enjoyed tremendous success in the Pirates' bullpen from 2011-12. He posted a 2.91 ERA with 13.8 K/9, 3.4 BB.9 and a 30.7% ground ball rate in 58 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh this past season and earned $1.1MM. Grilli ranked 33rd on MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents.

Grilli's fastball averaged 93.6 mph this past season, his top velocity since 2007. He generated swinging strikes 14.4% of the time, a career high. Not surprisingly, Grilli's strikeout rate increased yet again in 2012, when he struck out 90 of the 244 batters he faced. 

The Cubs, Blue Jays and Giants were among the finalists for Grilli, Peter Gammons of MLB Network reported last week. The ten-year veteran turned down slightly bigger offers elsewhere to stay in Pittsburgh, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Grilli turned down a more lucrative deal from the Blue Jays, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of US Presswire. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement (on Twitter).

Free Agent Rumors: Hamilton, LaRoche, Rolen

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MLBTR's Free Agent Tracker allows you to review the offseason's new contracts and navigate all remaining free agents. Here are the latest rumors on a handful of free agent position players…

Rays, Roberto Hernandez Nearing Deal

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The Rays are nearing a deal with right-hander Roberto Hernandez, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (on Twitter). The free agent pitcher would provide depth for Tampa Bay's bullpen or rotation. Jorge Brito and Charisse Espinosa-Dash represent the 32-year-old.

As our Transaction Tracker shows, Hernandez would be the first free agent starting pitcher signed to a big league contract by the Rays since Andrew Friedman took over following the 2005 season. The pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona allowed 15 runs in 14 2/3 innings spread across three late-season starts for the Indians this year after missing most of the season with visa issues stemming from his identity fraud case.

Hernandez owns a 5.06 ERA since finishing fourth in the 2007 AL Cy Young voting, the second worst mark in baseball behind Luke Hochevar (min. 600 IP). His 56.6% ground ball rate is the fourth best during that time, however.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

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