Central Notes: Arroyo, Twins, Cards, De Aza, Indians
Here are some quick notes from around the Central divisions.
- Bronson Arroyo's agent, Terry Bross, says he expects the Reds to make an offer to re-sign his client, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports. That leads Rosenthal to wonder whether the Reds might deal a starter, even though GM Walt Jocketty has said they would not trade Homer Bailey, who will be a free agent after the season (Twitter links).
- The Twins do not have a pending offer to Arroyo or Johan Santana, tweets 1500ESPN's Darren Wolfson. They have made an offer to re-sign starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger tweets. Pelfrey posted a 5.19 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 for the Twins in 2013.
- The Cardinals, who have already acquired Jhonny Peralta and Peter Bourjos, aren't likely to be big players in the Winter Meetings, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch tweets. "We’re fishing is in the shallow end," GM John Mozeliak says.
- Now that they've acquired Adam Eaton, the White Sox will listen to offers on fellow outfielder Alejandro De Aza, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). The Giants have already asked about De Aza, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Indians would like to re-sign pitcher Tyler Cloyd to a minor-league deal, Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer tweets.
Nationals Interested In Justin Wilson, Jerry Blevins
The Nationals are in the market for lefty relief, and they have interest in trade candidates Justin Wilson (Pirates) and Jerry Blevins (Athletics), Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com reports. Earlier today, it was reported that the Pirates would listen to offers for Wilson. The Nats have also had discussions about Blevins, who posted a 3.15 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 in 60 innings in 2013.
The Nats are also searching for bullpen lefties in free agency, where the possibilities include J.P. Howell, Boone Logan, Scott Downs and Oliver Perez. "We’re talking to free agents, and we’ve got some irons in the fire on the trade market," says GM Mike Rizzo. "It’s a position, I think, of depth this year, on the free agent market and the trade market. I think that benefits us."
West Notes: Gutierrez, Young, Morse, Sizemore, Cruz
Here are some quick notes from around the West divisions:
- The Mariners have interest in re-signing outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, likely to a one-year, incentive-based deal, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times writes. (Twitter links).
- M's GM Jack Zduriencik also says the Mariners might attempt to improve their outfield via trades, Divish tweets.
- The Dodgers are discussing Michael Young as a possible option in their infield, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times writes (via Twitter).
- Mike Morse wants $7MM or $8MM on a one-year contract, ESPN's Buster Olney tweets. That seems to be a lot to pay a player who hit .215/.270/.381 with poor defense last season. The Astros are reportedly among the teams interested in Morse.
- The Astros have also recently spoken with representatives of outfielder Grady Sizemore, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart writes (via Twitter). Sizemore, 31, last played in the big leagues in 2011.
- The Rockies are interested in both Morse and Young, the Denver Post's Troy Renck tweets.
- Now that the Mark Trumbo trade is complete, the Angels are likely to keep second baseman Howie Kendrick, MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez tweets.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean says that if infielder Pablo Sandoval comes to spring training in good shape, the Giants would consider signing Sandoval to an extension, MLB.com's Chris Haft tweets.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels says free-agent outfielder Nelson Cruz doesn't owe the Rangers special consideration despite missing 50 games in 2013 after being suspended, reports ESPN's Richard Durrett. "He had a decision to make," says Daniels. "[W]e all understood the position he was in. I can’t speak for everybody, but I don’t view it that way. I don’t think he owes us." Cruz could have appealed his suspension and continued to play for the Rangers last season, but he chose not to.
- If the Diamondbacks are unable to trade for a pitcher, they could pursue Matt Garza, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert tweets.
Mark Mulder Making Comeback Bid
Former star Athletics and Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder is hoping to return to the big leagues, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports. Mulder, 36, struggled through shoulder injuries in the last several years of his career, which ended in 2009. He last pitched in the big leagues in 2008, and has not pitched more than 11 innings in a season since 2006. He currently works for ESPN as an analyst.
Crasnick reports that Mulder's comeback attempt began in October, spurred by an attempt to mimic the delivery of Dodgers reliever Paco Rodriguez. Mulder thinks Rodriguez's delivery may have helped him figure out how to pitch effectively again.
Representatives of three big-league teams watched Mulder pitch last month, and he says he threw 89-90 MPH. "To be honest with you, I never anticipated this five or six weeks ago," Mulder says. "It was just a flat-out fluke that came from me trying to imitate Paco Rodriguez in my living room."
Four Teams Interested In Jason Hammel
Free agent starting pitcher Jason Hammel has had interest from the Cubs, Pirates, Royals and Braves, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi tweets. Hammel posted a 4.97 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 139 1/3 innings in an injury-plagued season for the Orioles last season. Hammel has also recently been connected with the Rockies, Orioles, Indians and other teams.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes reported yesterday that, while Hammel wouldn't mind a three-year deal, he would prefer a one-year deal over two years. A one-year deal would allow him to build value before seeking a multi-year deal next offseason.
Rangers Have Interest in Bartolo Colon
The Rangers have interest in starting pitcher Bartolo Colon, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. Colon would provide the Rangers with a backup plan in case Matt Harrison isn't ready to come back from injuries that limited him to two big-league starts in 2013. If Harrison is healthy, Colon would likely bump Alexi Ogando to the bullpen.
Colon will be 41 shortly after the start of the 2014 season, so he could very well be available to the Rangers on a one-year basis. Wilson notes that a one-year deal would be attractive for the Rangers, who might have Luke Jackson or other prospects knocking on the door by 2015. Colon posted a 2.65 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 190 1/3 innings with the Athletics last season.
Rakuten President Undecided On Whether To Post Tanaka
Rakuten Golden Eagles president Yozo Tachibana is undecided on whether to post star pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports (via Twitter). Tachibana adds that he is "disappointed" with baseball's new posting system, and says that he'll speak with Tanaka next week, according to the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin (also on Twitter). Rakuten assistant GM Aki Sasaki, meanwhile, adds that he is unsure whether the posting fee of $20MM "is fair value for this kind of trade," Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan tweets.
Pirates Willing To Listen On Justin Wilson
The Pirates have had lots of interest in lefty Justin Wilson, and they are willing to listen to offers, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi writes (Twitter link). The hard-throwing Wilson posted a 2.08 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in his first full season for the Pirates last season. The Pirates are likely to be on the lookout for a first baseman, a starting pitcher and a backup infielder. They have a second cost-controlled bullpen lefty in Tony Watson and have had recent success acquiring relievers on the cheap, so they may feel Wilson is expendable for the right price.
Yankees Likely To Keep Gardner, Try To Trade Ichiro
With the additions of Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, the Yankees have a surplus in their outfield. They're not likely to address that surplus by trading Brett Gardner, however, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports. The Yankees like the idea of having both Ellsbury and Gardner in their outfield, and they will likely focus on trading Ichiro Suzuki instead.
As Heyman points out, however, there isn't likely to be a particularly robust market for Ichiro. The 40-year-old hit .262/.297/.342 in 2013.
East Notes: Orioles, Gaudin, Cano, Phillies, Mets
Here are a few quick notes from around the East divisions:
- The Orioles have not had discussions with Scott Boras about contract extensions for either Matt Wieters or Chris Davis, CSNBaltimore.com's Rich Dubroff tweets.
- The Orioles are interested in finding another starting pitcher, and they've shown interest in free agent Chad Gaudin, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (via Twitter).
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman understands Robinson Cano's decision to leave the Bombers for the Mariners, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger. "It just comes down to, if the numbers are right, he had 240 million reasons why he should go to Seattle," Cashman says. "And if I was him, I would have done the same thing."
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The Phillies are "more focused on trying to add starting pitching depth more than anything else," GM Ruben Amaro told reporters, including Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News, yesterday.
- The Mets talked to Paul Maholm's agent, but they are not expected to sign the veteran lefty, Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets.
Zach Links contributed to this post.