The Phillies and Rangers had advanced talks about a deal that would send Michael Young and cash to Philadelphia, according to multiple reports out of Nashville yesterday. Young would have to approve any trade, and there are mixed reports about his interest in leaving the Rangers for the Phillies. Here are the latest rumors on the trade talks involving Young…
Indians Continue Pursuing Youkilis, Swisher
The Indians offered Shane Victorino four years and $44MM before he signed with the Red Sox, an indication that Cleveland has the capacity to spend on at least one major free agent this offseason. Here's the latest on the Indians, starting with a pair of free agent pursuits…
- While the Indians are hoping to sign Swisher to a four-year deal in the $48-50MM range, his market has shifted and he might now command a four-year, $60MM contract, Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio reports (on Twitter).
- The Indians may have offered Youkilis more than $18MM for two years, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- Kevin Youkilis must decide whether to accept a two-year, $18MM contract to play for Terry Francona and the Indians or take a one-year, $12MM deal to play for the Yankees, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney writes (on Twitter).
- It appears as though Cleveland could be in the best position to sign Nick Swisher, Olney reports (on Twitter).
Red Sox Acquire Graham Godfrey
The A's announced that they traded minor league right-hander Graham Godfrey to the Red Sox. Godfrey serves as the player to be named later from the November deal that sent Sandy Rosario to Oakland.
Godfrey, 28, started four games for the A's early on in the 2012 season. He spent most of this past season at Triple-A, where he posted a 3.29 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 104 innings. In parts of two seasons at the MLB level, Godfrey has a 5.09 ERA with 4.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 46 innings.
The A's designated Rosario for assignment two days after acquiring him.
R.A. Dickey Rumors: Friday
Multiple teams remain involved in talks for R.A. Dickey, but it's still possible the Mets will extend the knuckleballer instead of trading him. The reigning National League Cy Young winner appears to seek two years and $26MM in addition to his $5MM salary for 2013. Here are the latest rumors about contract talks for Dickey and potential trades…
- GM Sandy Alderson repeated that the Mets might end up holding onto Dickey instead of trading or extending him, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. Though that's not “necessarily the optimal result,” the Mets are prepared for that possibility. One competing NL official said it'd be a mistake not to trade or extend Dickey, however.
Earlier updates:
- The Royals seem "very interested" in Dickey, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports (allTwitterlinks). However, they wouldn't be interested in sending top prospect Wil Myers to New York for the knuckleballer. Dickey, James Shields and Jeremy Hellickson remain in play for the Royals, Dutton reports. However, it now seems unlikely that the Red Sox will move Jon Lester.
- The Mets view the Blue Jays, Royals and Rangers as the most likely trade suitors for Dickey, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). In Olney's view Dickey's contract demands may seem more reasonable based on some recent free agent contracts.
Latest On Multi-Team James Shields Talks
The Rangers, Diamondbacks, Rays and Indians discussed three and four-team deals in Nashville this past week without agreeing to any trades. However, talks involving Justin Upton and others aren't dead, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday. Here's the latest with the most recent updates up top…
- Here's how close the Rangers have been to acquiring Upton. Wednesday night a Rangers official phoned an Astros official and said "we got Upton," according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- There has been some frustration with the Mariners this week, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). Some consider Seattle a "speed bump" in the process of working out a multi-team deal, Olney writes.
- The Diamondbacks have been working to acquire James Shields from the Rays as part of the three and four-team trades being discussed, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). The Rays might be increasingly willing to move Shields, who has also drawn interest from the Royals. Olney suggests the Diamondbacks could move a young pitcher if they obtain Shields in a multi-team trade. Tyler Skaggs and Trevor Bauer are among the potential trade candidates on Arizona’s roster.
AL West Notes: Rangers, Ross, DeJesus
Could Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton end up re-signing in the AL West? The answer to that question will have ramifications within the division and throughout the sport. Here are today’s AL West links…
- Texas GM Jon Daniels said the Rangers are looking at various options in free agency and on the trade market, Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com reports. While Daniels isn't going to rush a move, the Rangers could strike soon.
- The Mariners are among the teams interested in free agent outfielder Cody Ross, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Seattle has been linked to just about every free agent bat as they attempt to add offense. So far the Mariners have agreed to a one-year, $1MM deal with Jason Bay.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggests signing Hamilton wouldn’t solve all of the Mariners’ problems. If they aren’t prepared to increase spending up and down the roster, adding a player like Hamilton would not be the answer. Morosi suggests the Mariners might want to pursue a trade for David DeJesus of the Cubs.
Dodgers, Twins Interested In Skip Schumaker
The Dodgers and Twins are among the teams that have some level of interest in Cardinals bench player Skip Schumaker, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. GM John Mozeliak acknowledged that Schumaker’s name has been out there as a potential trade candidate.
“We’ve tried to optimize the type of return we might get for him,” Mozeliak said. “We’ve left it fairly open. If we can get Major League help, we would definitely consider that. If we can’t find it we will look for someone who can fit into our minor league system.”
Schumaker, 32, will earn $1.5MM in 2013, the last year on his contract. As Goold notes, this seems reasonable given the escalating cost of infield help in free agency. Other than the Dodgers and Twins, the Reds could also be interested in Schumaker, a versatile player capable of playing second base and the outfield. The left-handed hitter has a .345 career on-base percentage, but he struggles to hit lefties.
Tigers Targeting Late-Inning Relief
The Tigers are targeting relievers capable of closing in trade talks, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter). Jose Valverde is expected to sign elsewhere as a free agent, which means the Tigers don’t have an established late-inning reliever.
GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland have publicly expressed optimism that relief prospect Bruce Rondon could become the team's closer in 2013. Still, it wouldn't hurt to add depth to a bullpen that also features Joaquin Benoit, Phil Coke and Octavio Dotel.
Though there's been lots of speculation about Rafael Soriano and Detroit, a team official recently told Peter Gammons of MLB Network that it "ain't happening." Chris Perez and Joel Hanrahan are two closers who could be dealt, and the Tigers could pursue any number of setup relievers.
Reds, Ludwick Making Progress
The Reds and Ryan Ludwick are getting closer to an agreement, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter). No deal is done between the Reds and the BHSC client, Fay adds.
The Reds have a two-year offer on the table to the free agent outfielder. Fay reported yesterday that Ludwick could get as much as $3MM more over two years elsewhere. Ludwick, 34, posted a .275/.346/.531 batting line with 26 home runs in 472 plate appearances for the Reds this past season.
American League Non-Tenders
Here are today’s American League non-tenders. All decisions must be in by 11pm CT tonight. Be sure to track all tender decisions using MLBTR's Non-Tender Tracker. Related resources include our list of non-tender candidates, our projected arbitration salaries and our arbitration eligibles series.
- The Rays have non-tendered Ben Francisco according to Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).
- The Blue Jays have non-tendered Bobby Wilson, the team announced.
- The Mariners have non-tendered Robert Andino, the team announced. They acquired him from the Orioles less than two weeks ago.
- The Rangers have non-tendered Geovany Soto, Brandon Snyder, and Jacob Brigham according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan (on Twitter).
- The Orioles have non-tendered Mark Reynolds in addition to Omar Quintanilla and Stuart Pomeranz, the team announced (on Twitter).
- The Athletics have non-tendered Jermaine Mitchell, the team announced. Mitchell was designated for assignment earlier this week.
- The Red Sox have non-tendered Rich Hill, Ryan Sweeney, and Scott Atchison, the team announced. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports had the Sweeney news earlier (on Twitter) while Rob Bradford of WEEI.com had the Atchison news.
- The Indians announced they non-tendered Jack Hannahan, Rafael Perez and Chris Seddon
- The White Sox announced that they've non-tendered right-hander pitcher Anthony Carter and infielder Dan Johnson.
- The Royals announced that they won't tender outfielder Derrick Robinson a contract for 2013 (Twitter link). Robinson has no MLB experience so he wasn't arbitration eligible.
- The Tigers announced that they will non-tender Daniel Schlereth. The left-hander was limited to six appearances this past season, which he mostly spent on the disabled list with shoulder tendinitis. Schlereth was not yet arbitration eligible.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
