Marlins Telling Teams Nolasco Won’t Be Moved
Teams inquiring on Ricky Nolasco's availability are being told by the Marlins that the right-hander won't be traded, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (via Twitter). Nolasco's agent Matt Sosnick told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick yesterday that his client would prefer to be dealt, though he hadn't formally requested a trade.
Taking into account the blockbuster deal the Marlins consummated last month, it seems that Nolasco would be a logical trade candidate for Miami. He's set to earn an eight-digit salary in 2013, and doesn't necessarily seem to fit in the team's long-term plans. However, even if he were available, he likely wouldn't net a significant return unless the Marlins were willing to pay a portion of his salary.
Justin Upton Rumors: Monday
We'll round up today's rumors on Justin Upton, one of the winter's most intriguing trade candidates, right here, with the latest updates added to the top of the page throughout the day…
- The Mariners and Diamondbacks met tonight, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
Earlier updates:
- The Diamondbacks are said to be one of the most aggressive teams at the Winter Meetings so far, tweets ESPN.com's Buster Olney, who says rival teams believe Arizona will move Upton.
- The Rangers haven't given up on Upton, though the D-Backs continue to insist Elvis Andrus is included in any deal, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Texas would prefer to build a package around players like Mike Olt and/or Derek Holland rather than giving up Andrus or Jurickson Profar, according to Rosenthal.
- Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com tweets that the Rangers and D-Backs are still talking about Upton, but that there's "nothing there" at the moment.
Angels In On Edwin Jackson
Yesterday, we heard that the Angels weren't acting like they were confident about landing Zack Greinke, and that they were shifting their focus to the next tier of free agent pitchers. Here are a few more details on their search, along with some details on their hunt for bullpen arms:
- The Angels are one of many teams in on Edwin Jackson, tweets Heyman.
Earlier updates:
- Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link) singles out Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Lohse as two pitchers the Angels are eyeing, with Greinke's asking price too high for their liking.
- If the Angels don't have any success with outside free agents, the team could circle back to Dan Haren, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Angels have a history with Haren and have a more favorable view of his medical issues than other clubs (Twitter links).
- As MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez reported earlier today, Sean Burnett and Mike Adams are among the relievers the Angels are targeting. The team also inquired on Joakim Soria, but there's likely not a fit there since Soria wants to close.
Mariners, O’s Displaying Strong Interest In Butler
9:32pm: Royals officials "seemed to characterize Seattle as a fall-back option," writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, because Kansas City seeks a difference-maker rather than unproven prospects. Dutton suggests the Orioles are "an even tougher match."
5:47pm: The Mariners and Royals have had recent talks on Butler, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
12:17pm: Although a report last week suggested that Billy Butler was close to untouchable, that hasn't stopped teams from showing interest in the Royals slugger. According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter), the Mariners and Orioles are showing "strong interest" in Butler.
We had previously heard about both teams' interest in Butler, with the Mariners in particular said to be "coveting" the 26-year-old. Dutton views the M's as a more logical fit for the Royals than the Orioles, given the young pitchers Seattle could offer in a deal.
Dutton noted earlier today that the Rays' agreement with James Loney may mean they're no longer a fit for a Butler trade.
Shane Victorino Rumors: Monday
In a recent poll, 44% of MLBTR readers preferred Shane Victorino to Angel Pagan. Pagan is now off the board, and teams looking for a quality outfielder for less than half of what Michael Bourn will get should be interested. The latest:
- The Red Sox are comfortable going to three years on Victorino, writes WEEI's Rob Bradford.
Earlier updates:
- Victorino has multiple three-year offers on the table, and even a four-year offer, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link).
- Victorino is believed to be seeking a three-year deal worth about $10MM annually, says Lauber (via Twitter).
- The market for Victorino has yet to be fully defined, with the Indians one of many teams still in the running, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Victorino could decide to wait out deals for Michael Bourn and/or Angel Pagan if there are teams that view him as a fallback option, though that's just my speculation.
- While the Red Sox have discussed the possibility of signing Shane Victorino, there's another club that appears more interested in the former Phillie, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Lauber tweets that the Indians are "said to have serious interest" in Victorino. The Indians were one of seven teams said to be interested in Victorino as of last Monday, though their interest wasn't classified as any more serious than the other clubs' at that point. The Rangers, Yankees, Giants, Rays, Red Sox and Reds were the other teams mentioned as potential suitors, with Jon Heyman of CBS Sports noting that multiple clubs were willing to offer three years.
Orioles Notes: LaRoche, Hamilton, Greinke, Floyd
Orioles general manager Dan Duquette spoke to reporters in Nashville tonight about Baltimore's plans for the week. Here are a few of the highlights from Duquette, along with other Orioles-related items (all links go to Twitter)….
- The Orioles like Adam LaRoche, but to say the team is in serious negotiations for him is inaccurate, says Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com. The two sides haven't been in contact at the Winter Meetings, according to Duqette.
- Duquette left the door open for the Orioles to look at top-tier free agents like Josh Hamilton or Zack Greinke, but suggested that the team's focus is elsewhere, according to Melewski.
- Duquette has met with four teams and three agents today, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com. None of those agents represented the Orioles' own free agents, says Kubatko.
- Baltimore is expecting arbitration to cost the team about $22MM this season, says Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com. Our estimate is closer to $28MM, so it'll be interesting to see where we may have missed.
- The O's are interested in Gavin Floyd, according to Kubatko, though he cautions that this is far from the first time he's heard that over the years.
Minor Moves: Maier, Sutton, Lewis, Ka’aihue, Reed
We'll track the day's minor league signings right here:
- The Red Sox announced five minor league signings, according to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal: Mitch Maier, Terry Doyle, Drew Sutton, Oscar Villarreal, and Jose De La Torre.
- The Diamondbacks have signed a handful of players to minor league contracts, adding left-handed pitchers Rommie Lewis and Eddie Bonine along with Kila Ka'aihue, Humberto Cota, and Brad Snyder, tweets Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com. All five guys have Major League experience at some point in their careers.
- Jeremy Reed also received a minor league contract and an invite to spring training from the Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert (via Twitter).
Orioles Have Minimal Interest In Adam LaRoche
With Mike Napoli headed to Boston, one suitor was removed for the equation for Adam LaRoche. While that should improve the Nationals' leverage a little, there are still a handful of teams in the mix for the slugging first baseman. Here's the latest on LaRoche, with new updates added to the top throughout the day:
- The Rangers are not involved on LaRoche, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- Despite an earlier report that the Orioles are in "hard" on LaRoche, MLB.com's Britt Ghiroli hears the team's interest is minimal at best, as they're instead focused on trades.
Earlier updates:
- The Nationals believe the Rangers are the biggest threat to sign LaRoche, according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- The Orioles are in "hard" on LaRoche, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hears from an executive from one interested team (Twitter link).
- Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com had written earlier today that the Orioles, like the Nationals, didn't seem willing to go up to three years for LaRoche at this point.
- After Napoli didn't get a fourth year from the Red Sox, Jim Bowden of ESPN and SiriusXM expects LaRoche to have to settle for a two-year deal (Twitter link).
- Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post tweeted this morning that the Rangers and Mariners seemed to be the Nats' top competitors for LaRoche.
Free Agent Rumors: Oswalt, Delmon, Sizemore, Ross, Ludwick
Here's the latest from the Winter Meetings on a handful of free agents:
- Roy Oswalt is unsure about whether he'll pitch in 2013, one of his agents tells Morosi.
- The Mariners checked in on Delmon Young, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Morosi reported previously that Young might wait until January to sign given his November ankle surgery.
- Grady Sizemore had been drawing interest from a few clubs, including the Red Sox, but he won't be a real option until midseason, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. Agent Joe Urbon confirmed to Castrovince that his client underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee in September.
- Besides being interested in Scott Hairston, the Yankees are also eyeing Cody Ross, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
- The Mariners have checked in on Ryan Ludwick, among other hitters, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
- Cesar Izturis' reps are expected to meet with the Mets this week and there could be a match there, writes Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
Earlier updates:
- The Orioles' interest in righty Brett Myers appears minimal, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun, and they have no meetings set up with his reps.
- The Twins are one team with early interest in southpaw John Lannan, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. The Pirates also have an eye on Lannan, reported Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review earlier today.
- The Cubs are talking to many agents about bullpen help and they like Jason Grilli, tweets Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.
- Solid interest in Jason Bay (from teams other than Boston) may lead to a Major League deal, tweets Rob Bradford of WEEI.
- The Marlins are interested in utility man Mark DeRosa, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. The 37-year-old had indicated at season's end that he was unsure what his future held.
- The Royals are "sending out signals" that they have the money and the motivation to pursue a pitcher who could be considered a No. 1, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. A run at Anibal Sanchez isn't out of the question for Kansas City, according to Knobler.
- Tigers people continue to say the team isn't even considering Rafael Soriano, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post. However, Sherman notes that owner Mike Ilitch's great relationship with Scott Boras still makes Detroit a wild card in the Soriano sweepstakes.
- Rival executives view the Nationals as a good fit for Mike Pelfrey, especially considering GM Mike Rizzo and Scott Boras have a history of working out deals, says Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (Twitterlinks).
- Teams are showing "no hesitation whatsoever" in pursuing Jeff Keppinger, who underwent surgery to repair a right fibula fracture, agent Keith Grunewald tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitterlinks).
- Jason Giambi would like to continue his playing career, and is drawing interest from three or four teams, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
NL West Rumors: Scutaro, Rockies, Otani, Minor
While the Dodgers have been linked to just about everyone this offseason, they won't be the only NL West club active in Nashville this week. Here are a few updates from around the division:
- Chris Haft of MLB.com (Twitter link) heard from an agent earlier today that the Giants were "bending over backwards" to re-sign Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro. Haft wonders if Scutaro is next, now that the team has reached an agreement with Pagan.
- The Rockies are targeting late-inning and closer-type pitchers this week, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- The Dodgers would be "shocked" if Shohei Otani declares for MLB and doesn't sign with them, says Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter). However, the Dodgers are skeptical that Otani will come stateside. We heard this morning that the 18-year-old was leaning toward remaining in Japan.
- In discussing Dexter Fowler with the Braves, the Rockies asked for Mike Minor, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (Twitter link).
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post notes (via Twitter) that the Yankees had some interest in Chris Nelson last season, and wonders if their interest in the Rockies' infielder could be renewed now that Alex Rodriguez is undergoing hip surgery.
- The Giants are one of five teams with "real interest" in Scott Hairston, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. The Cardinals, Tigers, Indians, and Yankees round out the list, and Hairston himself hasn't ruled out a return to the Mets.