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Padres To Sign Jason Marquis

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Jason Marquis will be returning to the west coast to pitch for the team that took a flier on him last summer. The Padres have agreed to sign Marquis to a one-year contract, the team announced today in a press release. The ACES client will reportedly earn a $3MM salary for 2013. 

Uspw_6352232 The one-year, $3MM deal appears identical to the one Marquis signed a year ago with the Twins. Landing a similar contract this winter initially appeared to be a long shot when the right-hander recorded an 8.47 ERA in seven starts with Minnesota and was designated for assignment. However, a strong second half with the Padres brought Marquis' overall numbers back to respectability. The 34-year-old posted a 4.04 ERA over the course of 15 starts with San Diego.

Marquis, who figures to slot in behind Edinson Volquez and Clayton Richard in San Diego's rotation, will be looking to pitch a full season for the first time since 2009. Although he averaged 196 innings from 2004 to 2009, Marquis hasn't topped 132 IP in any of the last three years.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (via Twitter) first reported the agreement. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark was the first to report that the two sides were closing in on a deal. Photo courtesy of U.S. Presswire.

AL West Notes: Rangers, Mariners, LaRoche, Angels

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An ex-Ranger is heading to the AL East, as Mike Napoli and the Red Sox agreed to a three-year contract earlier today. However, there's still plenty of activity going on out west, so let's round up a few items from the AL West….

  • The Mariners and Rangers sound like the two biggest suitors besides the Nationals for Adam LaRoche, says Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
  • As the Angels eye Sean Burnett, they continue to have interest in other relief options, according to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez (via Twitter). Mike Adams remains a possibility, and the team also checked in on Joakim Soria, though he wants to close.
  • The Mariners remain open to signing a defensive catcher, tweets Greg Johns of MLB.com.
  • The Mariners had "no idea" that the Red Sox were closing in on an agreement with Napoli, GM Jack Zduriencik tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com.

Tigers Offered Sanchez Four Years, $48MM?

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10:50am: A source tells Jason Beck of MLB.com that the report of Detroit's four-year, $48MM offer to Sanchez isn't accurate (Twitter link). I doubt those figures materialized out of thin air, but perhaps the Tigers never made a formal offer for those terms. The two sides are still talking, says Beck.

10:27am: The Tigers made Anibal Sanchez a contract offer earlier in the offseason worth $48MM over four years, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). According to Heyman, Detroit was informed by Sanchez's agent that such an offer would "insult" the right-hander, who is seeking $90MM for six years.

A report last week suggested that the Tigers were still pursuing Sanchez, and that many executives believe the 28-year-old will land a deal of at least five years. That suggests that Detroit is willing to up its offer, though I'd be surprised if the team goes as high as the six years and $90MM Sanchez is seeking.

Red Sox Talking To Swisher, Out On LaRoche

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Agreeing to sign Mike Napoli doesn't take the Red Sox out of the running for Nick Swisher, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, who says (via Twitter) that the Sox remain in talks with Swisher. Cody Ross and Shane Victorino also remain on Boston's radar, though the team is likely out of the running for Adam LaRoche, tweets ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.

The Red Sox were said on Friday to be one of a number of clubs that has spoken to Swisher's representatives. However, both Swisher and the Red Sox are considering their options, tweets Scott Miller of CBS Sports. Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald adds (via Twitter) that Boston's pursuit of Swisher had been moving slowly, though that could change now that the team has locked up Napoli.

Buster Olney of ESPN.com (Twitter link) believes the market for Swisher could become much clearer once Josh Hamilton signs. If Hamilton leaves Texas, Swisher could be a good fit with the Rangers, says Olney.

Mets Rumors: Catcher, Dickey, Ownership

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While news of Alex Rodriguez's hip surgery dominates the headlines for one New York team, here's the latest on the team across town:

  • At or near the top of Sandy Alderson's shopping list during the Winter Meetings is a catcher who can share the job with Josh Thole or even take it outright, says Mike Puma of the New York Post. If the team were to sign a free agent, the most likely scenario would be a right-handed hitter like Miguel Olivo, who could platoon with Thole. A.J. Pierzynski figures to be out of the Mets' price range, says Puma.

Earlier updates:

  • The Mets have been underwhelmed by the offers they've received for R.A. Dickey so far, tweets Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Martino adds in a second tweet that the Mets genuinely don't seem to know whether they'll trade Dickey or extend him.
  • While Mets GM Sandy Alderson acknowledges that Dickey's situation needs to be resolved, he says that resolution doesn't necessarily need to happen during the Winter Meetings, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.
  • The Mets are a team whose direction this offseason has yet to be determined, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney in his Insider-only blog.
  • One minority owner of the Mets has been accused of fraud, as a New York Times report details.

Morning Rumors: Otani, Braves, Wang, Indians

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The most fun week of baseball's offseason is here, as 2012's Winter Meetings get underway in Nashville. With a ton of activity expected over the next few days, we don't want to let anything fall through the cracks, so let's round up a few Monday morning updates from around MLB:

  • 18-year-old Japanese pitcher Shohei Otani, who announced in October that he intended to sign with an MLB team, may now be leaning toward staying in Japan, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link), who cites reports out of Japan. A decision from Otani is expected this week, tweets Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.
  • If the Braves make a move this week, it's more likely to be a trade than a signing, says Mark Bowman of MLB.com, who tweets that Atlanta has "minimal interest" in the outfielders on the free agent market. The team's interest in free agents could increase if asking prices drop, but that's not likely to happen this early in the offseason, tweets Bowman. David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has more details on the Braves' search for a left fielder.
  • The Rays' agreement with James Loney makes them an unlikely fit for Eric Hosmer or Billy Butler now, tweets Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. If the Royals were to pursue a Rays pitcher via trade, Kansas City may have to offer Wil Myers, Dutton adds.
  • Given the weak third base market, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports thinks the Padres may be motivated to sell high on Chase Headley and send him to the Yankees (Twitter link).
  • Coming off an injury-shortened 2012 season, Chien-Ming Wang may not sign with an MLB team until midseason, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com (Twitter link).
  • John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer thinks the Reds will make a run at Dexter Fowler, but doesn't expect the team to give up Homer Bailey to make it happen.
  • The Dodgers may have a tricky time targeting an outfielder, since they need a starting-caliber player but can't promise a starting job, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.
  • If the Indians decide to go all-in on their rebuild, they could extract young pitching talent from a team like the Mariners or Diamondbacks, says ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider link). Cleveland's asking price for Asdrubal Cabrera is "steep in terms of young pitchers," according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Jim Bowden has identified a trade candidate for all 30 MLB teams, along with potential suitors for each player.
  • After a quiet Winter Meetings in 2011, the Red Sox figure to be more active this year, writes Tim Britton of the Providence Journal, as he explores a few of the team's potential targets.

Ryan Dempster Seeking Three-Year Deal

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Although there is mutual interest between Ryan Dempster and the Brewers, the two sides aren't near an agreement in part because of the number of years Dempster is seeking, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Haudricourt hears from agent Craig Landis that Dempster wants to sign for three years. The Brewers, on the other hand, prefer to go no more than two years on Dempster and other free agent arms.

Haudricourt writes that, even at age 35, Dempster is likely to land the three-year contract he's seeking because there aren't a ton of high-end starters available this winter. After seeing deals for pitchers like Jeff Suppan and Randy Wolf go south after a couple seasons, the Brewers are looking to avoid long-term commitments, despite their need for an established starter.

Last night, we heard that Dempster was one of the Brewers' top free agent targets, with teams like the Diamondbacks and Twins also likely to be in the mix for the right-hander.

Danny Espinosa Rumors: Monday

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We heard overnight that the Rays and Nationals were exploring the possibility of a trade that would send Danny Espinosa to Tampa. While multiple reporters have suggested those talks haven't gained much momentum, Espinosa remains a trade candidate. Here are the latest rumblings related to the Nats infielder:

  • At least one team besides the Rays called the Nats about Espinosa, tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, who adds that any talks are being initiated by other teams.
  • The Nationals are more willing to trade Mike Morse than Espinosa, with GM Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Johnson still steadfast supporters of Espinosa, writes Mark Zuckerman of CSNWashington.com.
  • Many members of the Nats organization are reluctant to trade Espinosa, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. "He will figure it out," one source told Rosenthal. "[Steve] Lombardozzi is a good player, but he’s not Espinosa."
  • The Nationals haven't ruled out the possibility of moving Anthony Rendon to second base if they decide to trade Espinosa, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson.

Giants Close To Re-Signing Angel Pagan

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The Giants and Angel Pagan are close to reaching an agreement to bring Pagan back to San Francisco, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

San Francisco had been one of Pagan's strongest suitors for most of the offseason, along with the Phillies. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports tweeted earlier this afternoon that the Phils still considered the price for the 31-year-old to be too high, though Philadelphia was more likely to sign Pagan than Michael Bourn. Two days ago, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported that the Giants were believed to be offering a four-year deal with a lower annual salary than Pagan was seeking.

Pagan enjoyed a very productive 2012 season in which he hit .288/.338/.440, slightly exceeding his career rates in each category. The center fielder ranked 11th on MLBTR's list of this winter's top 50 free agents.

Originally published on December 3rd at 2:47pm.

Red Sox Close To Deal With Mike Napoli

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9:59am: While no financial details have been reported on the deal Napoli and the Sox are working toward, Abraham tweets that it sounds as if Boston paid a larger annual salary to get a three-year contract done, rather than a four-year pact.

9:38am: The Red Sox are closing in on an agreement with Mike Napoli, according to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford. Bradford reports that the deal would likely be for three years. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe had reported earlier this morning that the Sox were "working hard" to land Napoli (Twitter link), while Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe says (via Twitter) that Sox officials are talking about Napoli as if he's part of the team.

Napoli had a down year by his standards for the Rangers in 2012, hitting .227/.343/.469. However, he has a career .863 OPS, and is one season removed from a .320/.414/.631 line. While Boston likely doesn't expect him to produce at that level again, the team would make him its primary first base option, according to Bradford. Cafardo tweets that the 31-year-old would also catch occasionally if he joins the Sox.

Napoli ranked 14th on MLBTR's list of 2012's top 50 free agents.

Originally published on December 3rd at 9:39am.

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