Blanton, Correia, Myers On Twins’ Radar
While the top options on the free agent market may be out of the Twins' price range the club's search for pitching has Minnesota eyeing Joe Blanton as a "prime target," according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Kevin Correia and Brett Myers are also on the team's radar, Crasnick reports.
In addition to those three names, recently non-tendered pitchers like Mike Pelfrey, John Lannan, and others could interest the Twins, according to Crasnick. Vicente Padilla has also drawn a little interest from Minnesota.
Although the Twins seem to be looking at plenty of pitching options in free agency, the team has also been more active in trade talks than expected, says Crasnick. Teams with pitchers on the block have approached the Twins about both Ben Revere and Josh Willingham.
D-Backs Sell Bergesen To Chunichi Dragons
The Diamondbacks have sold Brad Bergesen to Japan's Chunichi Dragons, the team announced today in a press release. It was previously reported that the D-Backs released Bergesen to allow him to pursue the opportunity overseas.
Bergesen, 27, pitched 29 2/3 innings for the Diamondbacks this past season, posting a 3.64 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. He would have been arbitration eligible for the second time, but had been a non-tender candidate with a projected salary of $1MM.
Nationals Sign Bill Bray
In addition to re-signing Zach Duke, the Nationals have continued to add arms today by signing Bill Bray to a minor league deal, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).
Bray, 29, was a first-round pick by the Nationals back when they were the Montreal Expos, but was sent to the Reds in an eight-player trade in July 2006. Bray has been in the Reds organization since that deal, up until he elected free agency last month.
Injuries limited Bray to just 14 appearances for the Reds in 2012, but in his last full season (2011), he was effective as a lefty specialist, posting a 2.98 ERA and 8.2 K/9 in 79 appearances.
Paul Janish, Braves Avoid Arbitration
The Braves and Paul Janish reached an agreement on a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution (via Twitter). According to O'Brien, the deal was completed earlier in the offseason, but wasn't announced at the time.
Janish, who is a career .216/.286/.291 hitter, posted a career-worst .502 OPS in 2012, though the Braves will bring him back more for his glove than his bat. MLBTR's arbitration projections called for a salary of about $900K for the 30-year-old infielder.
Nationals Re-Sign Zach Duke
The Nationals have re-signed left-hander Zach Duke to a Major League contract, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times (via Twitter).
Duke spent most of the 2012 season with the Nats' Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, posting a 3.51 ERA in 26 starts for the Chiefs. When the 29-year-old got a chance to pitch out of the Nationals bullpen in the last month of the season, he was very effective, recording a 1.32 ERA in eight appearances.
The signing doesn't rule out additional pitching acquisitions for the Nationals, according to Comak, who says (via Twitter) that the club is still in the market for a fifth starter.
AL East Notes: Swisher, A-Rod, Yankees, Reynolds
After taking a quick look at the latest notes out of the AL Central, we'll do the same with the AL East:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Yankees continue to be in on Scott Hairston, but it will likely take a two-year deal to lock him up, and New York would rather avoid adding 2014 salary.
- Sherman adds in a separate tweet that a Padres official insists the team isn't moving Chase Headley, so he's unlikely to be an option for the Yankees.
Earlier updates:
- Nick Swisher is drawing interest from a number of teams, including the Red Sox, but he may exercise some patience before agreeing to a deal, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Bradford hears from a source that Swisher may wait to sign until after Josh Hamilton has secured a deal. The WEEI.com scribe also reiterates that Boston's signing of Mike Napoli hasn't taken them out of the running for Swisher, as we heard earlier today.
- Discussing Alex Rodriguez's hip surgery at an afternoon press conference, Yankees GM Brian Cashman indicated that the team will "become very aggressive" if they see an opportunity to upgrade at third base that makes sense (Twitter link via MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith).
- In his latest column for FOX Sports, Jon Morosi explains why he thinks the Yankees should pursue Chase Headley, and explores what sort of return the Padres could expect for their star third baseman.
- According to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, Orioles GM Dan Duquette said on MLB Network Radio today that the club's decision to non-tender Mark Reynolds was made in part because the O's believed Reynolds could be in line for a salary of $12-14MM through arbitration. MLBTR was projecting a salary in the neighborhood of $8.9MM for Reynolds before he was non-tendered.
AL Central Notes: Boesch, Oliver, Asdrubal Cabrera
Here are a few quick notes out of Nashville relating to AL Central clubs:
- According to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), the Tigers are telling teams that Brennan Boesch and Andy Oliver could be had in a trade.
- While the Red Sox are one of six teams on Asdrubal Cabrera's no-trade list, a source tells WEEI.com's Alex Speier that the Indians shortstop would be open to a deal and Boston's presence on that list wouldn't preclude a trade. The Yankees, Tigers, Nationals, Giants, and Mets are the other clubs on Cabrera's no-trade list.
- Assuming A.J. Pierzynski doesn't re-sign with the White Sox, the club will be in the market for a left-handed bat, writes Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com.
A-Rod To Undergo Surgery, Miss Part Of 2013
12:31pm: The Yankees have announced in a press release that A-Rod will undergo "a left hip arthroscopy to repair a torn labrum, bone impingement and the correction of a cyst." The team pegs Rodriguez's recovery time at four to six months.
9:44am: Rodriguez's surgery will be on his left hip, not his previously-repaired right hip, according to Sherman. Recovery time is expected to be three to six months, so A-Rod figures to be healthy enough to return to the lineup by June, says Sherman (Twitter links).
9:17am: With A-Rod set to miss a chunk of 2013, the Yankees will likely step up their efforts to land Stephen Drew, tweets ESPN's Jim Bowden.
9:02am: Alex Rodriguez's struggles in 2012 may have been partly due to a hip injury, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. According to Sherman, A-Rod was playing with a tear in his hip, which had previously been surgically repaired. The Yankees third baseman will likely need more surgery and figures to miss part of the 2013 season, says Sherman (all Twitter links).
As Sherman notes, with Derek Jeter recovering from surgery as well, the Yankees "desperately" need help on the left side of the infield. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the team's options include Marco Scutaro and Jeff Keppinger, though Keppinger is also coming off surgery.
According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), Rodriguez's surgery will take place at some point in January.
Nationals Showing Interest In James Shields
After we heard overnight that the Nationals and Rays were discussing a potential trade involving Danny Espinosa and/or Mike Morse, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports fills in the gaps on which player Washington may have been targeting. According to Heyman, the Nats are displaying interest in James Shields, though the current status of discussions between the two teams is unknown.
Heyman reports that the Nationals view Shields as a more affordable alternative to top free agents like Zack Greinke. Although Washington had been considered one potential landing spot for Greinke, a National League executive tells Heyman that the Dodgers are "scaring teams away" when it comes to bidding on the winter's top free agent pitcher.
The Red Sox, Dodgers, and Royals are among the other clubs showing interest in trading for Shields, says Heyman.
Quick Hits: Stanton, Jones, Hanrahan, Rodney
Let's take a quick look around the league for a few of the morning's odds and ends out of Nashville….
- Giancarlo Stanton remains unhappy with the direction of the Marlins, agent Joel Wolfe tells Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). "It wasn't a reaction," Wolfe said, referring to Stanton's post-trade tweet last month. "It's a state of mind." Wolfe declined comment when asked if Stanton has requested a trade, according to Heyman (Twitter link).
- The Orioles may have some interest in Garrett Jones and could dangle pitching in trade talks with the Pirates, says Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Biertempfel adds within the same blog post that at least two American League teams weren't interested when the Pirates came to them to discuss Joel Hanrahan. According to Biertempfel, there are some concerns about Hanrahan's physical conditioning and his late-season performance in 2012.
- The Indians had been "seriously interested" in James Loney before he signed with the Rays, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).
- Fernando Rodney, who will be a free agent next winter, has switched agents, leaving ACES and hiring Dan Lozano, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
- The Royals' interest in Brett Myers is at the "kicking the tires" stage, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- With a plethora of catchers in the mix, the Red Sox will field offers for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, tweets Jon Heyman.