Phillies Not Shopping Polanco, Backing Off Ramirez
The Phillies are no longer shopping Placido Polanco and are "backing off" their pursuit of Aramis Ramirez, a rival executive tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
This would seem to indicate optimism about re-signing Jimmy Rollins, as we heard earlier that the Phillies would be interested in trading Polanco and acquiring Ramirez if they were unable to bring back Rollins. However, Rosenthal says this decision is unrelated to the club's negotiations with their longtime shortstop.
The Angels and Brewers are among the teams still in on Ramirez, tweets Rosenthal.
D’Backs Closing In On Deal With Lyle Overbay
10:24pm: No deal is done yet, but the two sides are thought to be discussing a contract worth about $1MM, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
9:20pm: The Diamondbacks didn't get a definitive yes or no from Lyle Overbay on their latest contract offer, but the two sides appear to be working toward completing a deal, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Overbay and the D'Backs are discussing a one-year contract, and GM Kevin Towers is optimistic about their progress.
"I would say it's progressing well, but it's not done," Towers said. "Everything looks good, although it's not a done deal. I'm cautiously optimistic. We still have some things that we have to work through that we're still working through, but nothing's really changed. My gut is he'll still end up coming here."
Red Sox Rumors: Wakefield, Varitek, Trade Talks
We heard earlier this evening that David Ortiz plans to return to Boston next season, either through arbitration or a multiyear deal. Now let's check in on some other Red Sox news:
- GM Ben Cherington's comments today suggest the Red Sox won't be bringing back Tim Wakefield and Jason Varitek, says Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- The Sox have talked to other clubs about Marco Scutaro and Jed Lowrie, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Red Sox and White Sox met to discuss a possible Carlos Quentin trade, but there's no match at the moment, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
- Boston has checked in on Brad Lidge, tweets Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald.
- DeMarlo Hale, the club's bench coach for the last two seasons, won't be returning for 2012, writes ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. Hale is expected to take a job in the Orioles' organization.
Mets Close To Making Trade
8:46pm: The Giants and Mets are believed to be discussing a deal that would send Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez to New York for Angel Pagan, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. That would match up with the two-for-one rumors, and Torres and Pagan qualify as "change of scenery" players as well.
8:33pm: Hot on the heels of their agreement with Jon Rauch, the Mets have a multi-player trade in the works, tweets MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter) describes the deal as a "change of scenery" trade both ways, and says the Mets are going to receive two players in exchange for one. Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link) hears that the move will net the Mets another reliever.
Giants “Far Down The Road” On Two Trades
8:45pm: One of the proposals is believed to be Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez for Angel Pagan, tweets Baggarly. That would match up with the two-for-one rumors we heard earlier about the Mets.
8:42pm: The Giants are "far down the road" on two trade proposals and GM Brian Sabean thinks the team may make a move tonight, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (on Twitter). The proposed moves don't involve Jed Lowrie, Carlos Quentin, or Martin Prado, three names that have surfaced in recent trade rumors, adds Baggarly.
With rumors swirling that the Mets are also close to making a deal for a reliever, and the Giants said to be entertaining offers for Ramon Ramirez, it's possible the Mets could be on the other end of one of San Francisco's two proposals. That's my own speculation, however.
Mets Reach Agreement With Jon Rauch
The Mets have agreed to a one-year deal with Jon Rauch, pending a physical, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter). Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio first reported (on Twitter) that a deal has been reached, and also tweets that he hears that it's worth $3.5MM plus performance bonuses.
Earlier today, we had heard that the Mets' search for bullpen help was intensifying, with multiple reports suggesting they could be getting close to an agreement. GM Sandy Alderson also indicated that the club was more likely to sign two moderately-priced relievers rather than one more expensive player. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (on Twitter), the Mets continue to work on adding another free agent reliever and completing a multi-player trade.
The Blue Jays, who offered arbitration to the Type B free agent, will receive a compensation draft pick in exchange for losing Rauch.
Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger (via Twitter) and Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (via Twitter) also contributed to breaking the story, while Bryan Grosnick examines the fantasy implications at CloserNews.com.
Quick Hits: Nats, White, Montero, Cespedes, Mets
Let's catch up on some links that have taken a backseat while we wait with bated breath to find out where Albert Pujols will sign…
- The Nationals prefer to trade minor leaguers over big leaguers, as Mark Zuckerman writes at Nats Insider.
- Dodgers assistant GM Logan White interviewed today for the Astros' GM opening, as MLB.com Brian McTaggart writes.
- The Diamondbacks are at the "very early stages" of negotiations on a Miguel Montero contract extension, said GM Kevin Towers. He doesn't expect anything to be resolved this week, tweets Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
- Yoenis Cespedes is still awaiting residency in the Dominican Republic, but when he gets it, bidding should be fast and strong, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.
- J.D. Martin has agreed to a minor league contract with the Marlins, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.
- Brandon Warne of Fangraphs breaks down the trade that sent Kevin Slowey to the Rockies.
- The Mets will fill their backup catcher opening with an in-house option rather than a free agent, reports Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.
Orioles Rumors: Quentin, Floyd, Koji, Street, Erbe
The latest on the Orioles:
- Baltimore has interest in Carlos Quentin and Gavin Floyd, but it's unclear if they match up with the White Sox, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. The Sox would like young pitching and the O's don't want to give that up, Connolly adds. Brad Bergesen was one name floated by Baltimore in trade talks, tweets MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
- The Orioles are talking to the Rangers about re-acquiring Koji Uehara, according to Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com.
- A club official told Connolly that there's "no chance" the team wants Alfonso Soriano (Twitter link).
- The Orioles are telling other clubs that Adam Jones is off limits, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that talks between the Orioles and Rockies about Huston Street have "no traction" (Twitter link).
- GM Dan Duquette says he has several offers out to free agent position players and pitchers, and adds that the club was in on Kevin Slowey before the Twins sent him to the Rockies, tweets Ghiroli.
- The O's have re-signed Brandon Erbe to a minor league contract, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com.
Marlins Have Interest In Wandy Rodriguez
The Marlins aren't just pursuing big-name free agents — they're also looking into some of the more interesting pitchers on the trade market. Having already inquired on Gio Gonzalez, the Fish also have some interest in Wandy Rodriguez, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) hears that if the Marlins can sign Albert Pujols, they'll turn their attention to trades rather than pursuing a high-end free agent pitcher. Meanwhile, the Astros are reportedly telling teams that they don't want to take on any salary if they trade Rodriguez.
David Ortiz Plans To Accept Arbitration
David Ortiz plans to accept Boston's arbitration offer and remain with the Red Sox, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. In that case, Ortiz would be in line for a one-year deal with a slight raise on last year's $12.5MM salary.
Considering there didn't seem to be many suitors for Ortiz on the open market and the reported two-year deal on the table from the Red Sox would have paid just $9MM annually, the decision makes sense. However, there is still time for the two sides to work out a multiyear deal, and ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link) expects them to continue talking. WEEI's Rob Bradford hears that Ortiz's reps and the Red Sox plan to meet tonight before any decision is made on arbitration.
The 36-year-old is coming off a strong 2011 campaign in which he hit .309/.398/.554 in 605 plate appearances.